J-C: Oh... my... God... O.O
~Sasuke~: *looks around at the destroyed room and points at Naruto* He did it.
Naruto: Nuh-uh! You kept resisting me, and then when we were finally getting to the good stuff-
J-C: HOW IN THE WORLD-?
Naruto: *wails while holding onto J-C's leg* WAAAAAAH! I'M SO SORRY, J-C!
J-C: COULD I NOT UPDATE THIS STORY FOR 4+ MONTHS? OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY, EVERYBODY! T_T
~Sasuke~: *silent but relieved*
Naruto: Oh... right... that... *laughs nervously*
J-C: I... I really have no words to express how deeply sorry I am for such a ridiculously long wait! I told myself that I would never make my readers wait longer than 2 months for an update, no matter what, and then THIS happens! Seriously, I feel so bad right now... especially when I've read everyone's reviews and seen how much traffic my story has been getting since Chapter 20 was posted... I'm so sorry. You guys have been incredibly patient and devoted to my story, and how do I pay you guys back? By taking 4+ months to update... I'm sorry... :( My life was really going badly from the date of Chapter 20's update till quite recently. I was in danger of not passing my college Trigonometry class (but surprisingly, I made it through... xD), and I had so much homework that I didn't sleep much. Then, May rolled around, and I was FINALLY free from school, but then the SAT decided to be all like, "NOT YET, SUCKER! STUDY FOR ME OR YOUR FUTURE WILL BE RUINED! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!". So I spent the entire month of May studying for my SAT, and I didn't have much time to write. AND THEN, when I finally finish the SAT in June (surprisingly, I got a 2100 on it... and a perfect score on my essay... I was like, "HOLY SHIZZNIT! HA, TAKE THAT, SAT! 8D"), my parents started nagging me to get a part-time job... So, June was spent job searching... and now it's July, and I finally got a chance to finish Chapter 21 (by the way, I was writing this chapter throughout that period, but I never had enough time to make adequate progress... -_-)! ^0^ But still, even with all that crap, it doesn't sit well with me that it took so long for me to update... I'm really, really, sorry! D":
~Sasuke~ Okay, they get it, J-C... Why don't you tell them some good news before you depress the dobe?
Naruto: *sniffles* It's so sad... Poor J-C...
~Sasuke~ *sighs* Too late... *awkwardly pats Naruto's head*
J-C: You're right, Sasuke! No need to depress my fans... if anyone is left that is. ^-^' BUT I HAVE SERIOUSLY GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYBODY! I'm infecting the Interent! ^0^
~Sasuke~ Not exactly the best way to break the news of your-
J-C: SHUT UP, I WANNA SAY IT!
Naruto: Yeah, Sasuke! Let J-C tell her readers that she has a Twitter page where they can follow her, and a Facebook fan page for "One Hell of a Master" so that she has more than one way to get in touch with everybody!
J-C: -_-
Naruto: Whoops, sorry, J-C...
~Sasuke~ *smacks Naruto in the back of the head* Dobe...
J-C: *sighs* Welp, there goes the surprise... but what Naruto said is completely true! ^0^ I have finally decided to let myself be pulled into the crazy worlds of Twitter and Facebook so that I can communicate with you guys through more than simple responses to reviews (which I apologize to everybody who I didn't respond to... I lost track of what reviews I had answered and which I didn't, and since I really wanted to post this chapter, I stopped responding... I'm sorry... I'll do better with this chapter, I swear!)! BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! ^-^ Me and my awesome best friend/editor (theRahma) are... *drum rolls* COSPLAYING "ONE HELL OF A MASTER"! ^0^ That's right! We have made a youtube channel dedicated to cosplay videos all about "One Hell of a Master"! I, J-C, will be cosplaying as Sebastian, and theRahma will be cosplaying as Ciel and Grell. We already have one video up on the channel so you guys can have a little taste of what we have in store. We plan to do CMVs (cosplay music videos) and omake "episodes" where we act out events that happen in the Michaelis manor that can't be included in the story for length reasons. ^-^' My best buddy and I are currently making a CMV featuring Sebastian and Ciel doing some smexxi things together, so look forward to that! ;) Oh, and all the links will be posted on my profile so that you guys don't have to search for my Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube page. xD
~Sasuke~ Okay... Now that you're done advertising yourself, why don't you actually get on with introducing this chapter?
J-C: YES! I'm totally pumped to FINALLY be back on Fanfiction and updating stuff for a change instead of just lurking in the shadows... xD And not only that, IT'S SUMMER! ^0^ Even though I'm taking a stupid online SAT class, I plan to update as much as I can throughout this month and for the rest of this year (my schedule for next school year is much easier, so I believe I'll have more time to write! ^0^)! But for now, let's focus on the present and our Disclaimer and Warnings! ^0^
Disclaimer: I'll just say this: If I owned Kuroshitsuji, Lizzy would not have been present in the last few manga chapters... (seriously, WTF is Yana doing? Why have the latest chapters been about Lizzy and hinting at Ciel x Lizzy as a couple? Dude, c'mon! There better be loads of SebaCiel action in the next chapter and the ones following it or Imma cut off Lizzy's ponytails and shove them where the sun don't shine! D8) - the rant in parenthesis proves that I do not own Kuroshitsuji. xD
J-C: And now for the Warnings!
Warnings: Welp, in this chapter, there is going to be violence, sexual themes/situations (seriously, that's like... a permanent warning with this story... xD), some citrus to quench all of my fangirls and fanboys thirst (but this time, it's SOLO!), language (again, another permanent warning with this story... xD), offensive language (I'm sorry if I offend anyone in this chapter... I was just basing the offensive things off of how they were viewed during this time period), and Lizzy (I swear, this warning is more serious than the one I did for the Viscount... xD)
J-C: I'm sure after four months (I'M SORRY T_T!), some people have forgotten the general layout of my story. So, regular dialogue and stuff looks like this (The unannounced hiatus is over!), emphasized words and thoughts look like this (How long since the last update?) or like this (Screw you, Trigonometry!), scene/time changes look like this (XXX), sound FX look like this (POW!), regular thoughts look like this (I'm so glad school is finally over!), conversational thoughts/Ciel's speech looks like this ('My Trig teacher is a spawn of the Devil... but not the cool one in my story!'), private thoughts look like this ([I can't wait to post Chapter 22!]), dialogue and stuff in flashback looks like this (Make sure to look for a word in bold saying FLASHBACK so that you aren't confuzzled!), thoughts in a flashback look like this (Anyone confuzzled by all the format specifications yet...? xD), and anything with extra information at the end of the chapter looks like this (Fungry (3)).
Naruto: Wow... That sure took a while...
J-C: Shut up... -_- *finally looks around at her destroyed room* WHOA! WTF HAPPENED H-?
~Sasuke~ Everyone, enjoy J-C's unedited version of Chapter 21 (her editor's computer busted, so she apologizes if there are any grammatical errors), complete with 56 pages of crap.
J-C: HEY! My chapter isn't crap! I tried REALLY hard to make it perfect... I'm sorry again for the late update... and the fact that it's unedited this time... xD *turns to Sasuke and Naruto* WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO TO MY R-?
Naruto: Enjoy Chapter 21 of "One Hell of a Master", everybody!
J-C: GUYS! D8
Chapter 21: The Mistletoe
December 23rd, 1888
"Sebastian…? Sebastian, are you listening to me?" Grell screeched into his fiancé's ear. Sebastian blinked, torn away from the very appealing sight located a few feet away from his face. The sound of the male's voice had shattered his temporary… reflection on the more… pleasurable things in life.
Such as his butler, bending over to pick up an ornament that had fallen off the tree.
Yes, that was quite a pleasurable sight.
Too bad Grell was there to ruin it.
Grell growled as he followed Sebastian's line of sight. Ciel, feeling two pairs of eyes trained on an intimate area, swiftly moved into a standing position. Silently clearing his throat, the boy decided to ignore the fallen ornament and pick it up when he wasn't being visually molested. Sighing, Sebastian tore his eyes away from Ciel and finally focused on the fuming death god.
"My apologies… But I am afraid I may have misheard you. I could have sworn you said you wished to throw a Christmas part-"
"I did!" Grell cut in, still angry about being ignored in favor of a lowly servant. Sebastian's face showed no emotion as he quietly regarded his red-headed fiancée, who was vehemently looking at Ciel.
What does he have that I don't? I'm more beautiful, smart, and rich than… than… that human!
"Why, might I ask, are you informing me of such a party?" the demon asked, honestly baffled. The death god threw parties often; Grell tried (and failed) to make the raven-haired man attend, but Sebastian always found a way to decline. Because of that fact, the death god didn't inform him when he was throwing a party anymore. The fact that he was doing so now caused Sebastian to instantly become suspicious. Grell, meanwhile, was annoyed to the extreme. He had been talking for five minutes straight, and it was quite clear that his fiancé hadn't listened to a single melodious word from his beautiful mouth.
All because of that little bastard!
"BECAUSE IT IS HAPPENING HERE!" he screeched, angered that he had to repeat himself. Sebastian's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Here, you say? Pray tell, why are you throwing such a party here, of all places?" Sebastian asked. Grell honestly couldn't expect for Sebastian to be ecstatic about attending, let alone hosting, a Christmas party. The demon didn't like parties in the first place (even though when he attended, he looked like he couldn't be happier to be there), unless there was plenty of sinning going on, in which case, Sebastian would line up potential meals if the sins were bad enough. Grell rolled his eyes and glared at Ciel, whose back was to the pair as he cleaned off the fireplace.
"Because I want to spend more time with you, Sebby!" Grell whined before he moved around the desk to sit in Sebastian's lap. The demon feigned indifference on the outside while he mentally thought of ways to kill the death god on the inside. Some of those images, ranging from sending wild dogs on him to burning him on a stake, appeared in Ciel's mind, and a small smirk developed on the boy's face as he continued cleaning his master's study. The red-haired male pouted before he snuggled against his fiancé's chest. "You are always working or away on some hunting expedition… you rarely have time for me! How am I supposed to feel as your fiancée when we are rarely together?" he finished in a saddened tone. The pale demon sighed before running a hand through his hair.
"When do you wish to throw this party?" he asked tiredly, willing to do anything to get the other man off of his lap. Grell's eyes lit up at Sebastian's question. He practically straddled the other demon (much to said demon's disgust) as he gazed into his eyes.
"Tomorrow, of course! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve after all!" he exclaimed excitedly. Sebastian's brow furrowed at the date of the party.
"Don't you think this is a little late notice? To be able to put together the decorations, prepare the food, invite the gues-"
"Your butler can do all that! He is a butler of Michaelis after all; something like this shouldn't be too much for him, riiiight?" Grell asked sneakily before slyly looking at Ciel out of the corner of his eye. Said butler froze at Grell's words, finally turning to face the two immortals with an impassive facial expression. Out of habit, he opened his mouth to speak, but remembering he could no longer do so, he closed it and focused his attention on Sebastian.
'If the master wishes it, then I have no choice but to fulfill it, correct?'
'Ah, you are finally learning…' Sebastian smirked, causing Ciel to frown disapprovingly. 'Ciel, this is an order: make a proper Christmas party that will not disgrace the Michaelis name.' Ciel's contracted eye tingled behind his eye patch as he wordlessly bowed to his master.
'Yes, my lord.' He turned to exit, mind racing about how he was supposed to throw a proper Christmas party that wouldn't embarrass the Michaelis name in less than 24 hours.
"Wait!" Grell suddenly called out, moving off of Sebastian's lap. The demon internally sighed with relief as his lap was once again unoccupied. Ciel stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the approaching death god. The red-haired immortal roughly grabbed Ciel by the arm and with a lowly growled, "Come", he dragged the child butler out of Sebastian's study.
Firmly closing the door, Grell led Ciel a little ways away from the door before he released the butler's arm. He faced the boy, all traces of kindness (not that there was much to begin with) gone from his face.
"Look, let me make this clear. I do not like you, and I never will. I do not approve of what you do with my fiancé every night; however, because you are under contract, I won't kill you for doing such lewd things with him," Grell started off hostilely. Ciel rolled his eyes as a light blush tinted his cheeks.
Little does he know that we have not engaged in such activity since my attack. Sebastian has only kissed me… and even then, he has been very gentle. He treats me as if I am fine chinaware; he handles me with care, almost like he's afraid that he will break me…
"Now, listen and listen well. You better not screw this party up. I want tomorrow night to be perfect; I want it to be romantic." His eyes lit up as he imagined Sebastian kissing him while snow lightly fell around them on the balcony. Remembering that Ciel was still there, his eyes became dark again. "Do not try to sabotage things with your slutty tendencies, got it? Sebby is mine. This party will be held in such a way that it will reaffirm that. Do you understand?" Grell snarled threateningly. Pride stung from Grell's comment about his "tendencies", Ciel's eyes slightly narrowed before he stiffly nodded. The death god smiled smugly. "Good. Then our conversation is finished." The immortal pranced away but stopped in his tracks as a thought crossed his mind.
"Oh, and you might want to cover your neck a little better. Scars are not appealing to anyone, especially to my Sebastian," he cooed teasingly before flipping his hair over his shoulder and heading back to Sebastian's study.
Ciel's hand instantly flew to cover his throat. Madam Red had removed the stitches from his neck wound a few days ago, but she had told him there would be a scar on his neck for the rest of his life. Where his hand was currently resting, a dark brown and thick line ran across the width of his neck; it was very noticeable, even from a distance. Ciel had tried to cover the scar with his high-collared dress shirt, but it was just a little too high; a tiny bit could still be seen. Swallowing, he removed his hand and clenched his fists by his side.
As if I care about such a vain thing…
With his head held high, Ciel made his way to the library, mind once again racing with thoughts of making a romantic and proper Christmas party with the limited amount of time he had. Ciel knew he had to look up the proper items that should be included; if there was anything holy, he would have to modify it for the sake of his master.
Of all holidays, why did Grell have to choose Christmas? Couldn't he have waited till New Years? What is the sudden rush?
Turning the corner, Ciel suddenly collided with a living mass of color and ribbons. Gasping in surprise, the child butler went tumbling to the ground with whatever he had crashed into. A sudden squeal caused Ciel's eyes to fly open. Shocked, he could only stare into Lizzy's bright-green orbs, which were currently swimming with tears.
"Oh, Ciel!" she cried before wrapping her arms around the fallen butler. Ciel, stunned by the sudden physical contact, froze in her hold. She rubbed her face against Ciel's cheek, tears spilling out of her eyes and running down her cheeks. "Aunty Ann told me about what happened to you! Oh, it's so sad! I'm so sorry that you can't talk anymore, Ciel!" she wailed, hugging Ciel even tighter, causing the boy to silently choke.
Madam Red told her about my being mute too…
Sighing, Ciel patted the crying girl's back, simultaneously comforting and telling her to remove herself from him so he could get up. With a gasp of surprise, the blonde removed herself from Ciel and allowed for the slightly shorter boy to stand. Noticing that Lizzy was still crying, Ciel reached into his breast pocket and produced a handkerchief. Silently handing the piece of cloth to the girl, he rubbed the back of his head, which had hit the floor quite hard. With a muffled "thank you", the noble girl wiped her eyes before daintily blowing her nose. She gave the used cloth back to Ciel, who tucked it back into his pocket. With a tired smile, Ciel bowed to the upper-class female, silently greeting her. Lizzy smiled before curtsying. After the formalities were finished, her face fell again.
"I wish there was a way that I could cheer you up, Ciel… It must be horrible not being able to speak!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her chest. Ciel shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, showing that it didn't really affect him that much. In all honesty, Ciel really didn't feel negatively or positively about his current situation. He was never one to talk to others anyway, so it wasn't like he had to adjust a lot to the change. Lizzy blinked with slight confusion. She had thought Ciel would be devastated about losing his voice.
How can he be okay with never talking again? Perhaps he is hiding his feelings so I don't worry about him? That's not good! Ciel shouldn't have to hide his feelings like that!
Ciel began to think of ways to stop the girl from crying again when he saw her eyes fill with tears. A brilliant idea popped into the young boy's mind, and he silently grabbed for the other girl's hand. A light blush coloring her cheeks at the other boy's touch, Lizzy made a small squeak of surprise when Ciel politely pulled her behind him.
"H-Huh? Ciel, where are we going? Ciel?" she asked, becoming more confused by Ciel's silence, before remembering that he couldn't say anything to begin with. Saying nothing to calm down his companion, Ciel walked briskly to the library, only slowing down when Lizzy would complain about how fast they were walking.
Elizabeth is always telling me about the parties she attends. Perhaps she can help me with this party; after all, she is a female; she is better at party planning and things of that sort.
Arriving at the library, Ciel released Lizzy's hand and motioned for the girl to enter the room. Giving Ciel a bewildered look, the bubbly blonde walked into the room. Ciel followed a respectful distance behind, closing the door behind him. Stepping over to the sitting area, he motioned again for Lizzy to take a seat. Lizzy did so, looking at Ciel with wide eyes.
"How come we are at the library, Ciel?"
Do books make Ciel happy? Even though I find them dull, if they make him happy, then I'll read with him for as long as he wants!
Ciel reached for the feather pen, ink bottle, and paper that were sitting on the desk and began to furiously write. Lizzy watched in awe as Ciel's elegant handwriting quickly filled the top half of the page. When he finished writing his message, he passed the sheet of paper to the girl. Lizzy's eyes slowly read what Ciel wrote; Ciel impatiently waited for her to finish reading. He had to remember that everyone didn't read as quickly as he did. He watched with slight satisfaction as the girl's eyes gradually lit up with excitement. Finished with reading the message, she gleefully leaped from her seat and slammed her hands down on the table between them, causing Ciel to jump slightly.
"Of course I'll help you plan this party, Ciel!" she squealed as her mind began to race with images of sugar plums, mistletoes, and festive candles lighting every part of the manor. "I love Christmas and parties! Oh, Ciel! This is going to be so cute and fun!" she exclaimed before squealing again. The rest of her words were lost to Ciel as she continued ranting about various decorations and other "cute" things.
Why do I have a feeling that I am going to despise this party as much as a certain red-haired death god despises me?
XXX
Ciel's eyes fluttered shut, cheeks flushed a pretty pink, as Sebastian gently claimed his lips again. It was currently 1:30 AM, and Ciel was nervously sitting in his demon master's lap. Sebastian was sitting comfortably on the side of his bed, gingerly holding Ciel's face in his hands as he continued to gently kiss the boy. Ciel's hands were tightly clasped in his lap as he fidgeted a little, too anxious to touch the other male. For the past week, this was as far as they had gone during Ciel's sex pet time. The demon was diligently heeding Madam Red's suggestion (threat) about not engaging in any sexual activity with his butler until she deemed Ciel fit for such physical exertion.
It was driving Sebastian crazy.
Ciel, on the other hand, was quite content only being kissed by his demon master. He still felt exhausted from the massive amount of blood he had lost; technically, he still should've been resting in his bed, but he had requested (demanded) to return to work the day after his stitches had been removed, much to Madam Red's chagrin.
FLASHBACK
"Ciel! What are you doing up already?" Madam Red cried out in surprise. She had entered the room to find Ciel wobbling around, putting together his uniform for the day. The Phantomhive turned to look at the woman over his shoulder with an unphased look. He held up his suit jacket and mouthed, "Work". The death god's eyes widened in shock before she shook her head and grabbed for the jacket.
"Out of the question. Your body is still healing; you need to rest a little more, Ciel," she stated in a clipped tone. Ciel shook his head and took the jacket out of the immortal's hands, glaring at her when she opened her mouth to retort. Sighing, the woman watched as Ciel moved to his wardrobe to grab his tie and white gloves. She observed worriedly when Ciel grabbed onto the door of the bureau to keep his balance.
There's no way he can return to work so soon. He can barely stand!
A thought popped into her head, causing her to slyly smirk. Faking nonchalance, she watched as Ciel began to gather his clothes into his arms.
"Alright, Ciel. I won't stop you from fulfilling your duties to the manor…" She watched, inwardly chuckling, as Ciel's face took on a pleased look. "But you do realize that if I allow you to return to those duties, then you will have to fulfill your 'duties' to Sebastian as well," she finished in a slightly sing-song tone of voice.
Ciel's face instantaneously paled while his eyes widened in horror at the meaning behind the physician's words.
I've got him, the red-haired death god thought triumphantly. Continuing to act nonchalant, she shrugged her shoulders and made like she was moving to exit the room. "But since you think that you are ready to return to work and your duties, who am I to stop you?" She had to stop herself from giggling as Ciel put his clothes back on the bed, an anxious look on his face.
Wait, anxious?
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Ciel grabbed almost desperately onto her arm, worry present in his normal eye. Looking around the room, Ciel finally spotted a piece of paper and a pencil. Writing as quickly as possible, he handed the slip of paper to the death god before looking up at her with large, frightened eyes. The note read:
No. Don't make me fulfill my duties to Sebastian. He's been so rough with me lately… violent at times. Make him wait until my body can handle it and please him just the way he wants… Please, Madam Red.
The woman's eyes widened at both the content of the note and the look in Ciel's eyes. Feeling guilty over her earlier jest, she soothingly stroked the top of Ciel's head, a determined look in her eyes.
"Alright, Ciel. You just leave it to me."
END OF FLASHBACK
Sebastian pulled away after a moment, analyzing his pet's prettily flushed face. Ciel's eyes slowly reopened, secretly savoring the tender kiss. His dreamy eyes locked with Sebastian's intense ones, and the boy felt his heart flutter dangerously fast, not from excitement, but from fright. He knew that look; Sebastian would give him that look before he tore his body apart with pleasure.
But ever since they had returned from Hell, his actions hadn't been very pleasurable, at least for Ciel. What made his behavior even worse was the fact that it was unpredictable; some nights he would act normally… but other nights he would act like a completely different person. On those nights, the demon was more demanding, more domineering. His actions were rougher, harder, and more painful; at times, Ciel would feel fearful that the other man would break him. His body would be littered in fresh bruises and cuts every time he stumbled out of the man's room. Sebastian would call him names that would hurt Ciel's heart to the point where he would feel tears develop in his eyes just thinking about them. He stopped working towards Ciel's release and only stopped after he got his own. The last few times Ciel had been his sex pet, he had been smacked several times in the face, called humiliating names, and forced to do even more humiliating things to pleasure Sebastian. The very last time, the night before he had been mentally attacked, Sebastian had forced Ciel to deep-throat him; then, with no mercy, the demon took Ciel, despite his screams to be gentler and his pleas for Sebastian to slow down.
Trying to hide his fear, the butler quickly looked to the side, not wanting to look in Sebastian's eyes.
"How are the party plans coming along?" the immortal asked after a moment, noticing Ciel's anxiety. Sebastian didn't say anything about Ciel's behavior, even though it aroused his curiosity.
I do not understand why he is acting so nervous around me. Normally, he would act angry or shy, but never anxious. Have I done something to make him feel like that? I do not recall doing anything differently… I have been treating him kindly, but that's so he will feel better. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was scared of me. But that cannot be right because I have not done anything to make him feel that way. Perhaps Father Gregory's mate's attack caused Ciel to become frightened of all demons? No… Ciel is not like most humans; he would not be scared of a whole race simply because of one attack. But if that is the case, then why is he acting so peculiarly?
Ciel blinked, thrown off by the random question, before he turned to look at his master. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw the intense look in Sebastian's eyes had been replaced with a nonchalant one.
'All of the decorations have been ordered and should be delivered later today. The food has been decided and will be prepared by me since our 'chef' has been given the day off…'
Sebastian chuckled at the "coincidence", knowing that Ciel had purposely chosen for today, December 24th, to be Bard's day off. He nodded, and Ciel continued "speaking" dutifully.
'The orchestra should arrive sometime around eight this evening. The invitations were sent out at five in the afternoon yesterday, so anyone who wishes to attend knows of the date and location and should arrive no later than 8:15 tonight. Counting those who wish to be 'fashionably' late, the party should be in full swing by 8:45. Food will be presented on platters… I did not prepare anything too heavy considering the time of the party. I have also decided to have Maylene and Finnian be the servers; however, I will serve the more important items, such as the drinks and the most appetizing foods. The main hall will be cleared of all obstructions so that it can be converted into a dance hall. To keep with the holiday spirit, I asked for each guest to bring a gift to give to someone who they know will be attending or to you, my lord. And-'
Ciel's thoughts were abruptly cut off when Sebastian softly rested a hand on Ciel's cheek. Eyes narrowed while his heart rate increased slightly, Ciel looked back and forth between Sebastian's face and the hand on his cheek. Smirking, Sebastian gently stroked Ciel's cheek.
"For you to be able to prepare everything so wonderfully in such a short amount of time pleases me greatly, my pet. To think, you did all of that just for my sake-"
Ciel huffed, causing the immortal to raise an eyebrow with an amused glint in his eyes. Ciel crossed his arms over his chest and resolutely shook his head.
'Do not be so conceited, Master. I did not do all of this work just for you. As a butler of Michaelis, if this party were to fail it would reflect badly on me. I cannot allow for my reputation to be sullied in such a way,' Ciel stated. Sebastian's smirk widened at Ciel's statement before he leaned closer to Ciel, his lips mere centimeters away from Ciel's frowning ones.
"That pride of yours is a grave sin, my pet," the demon pointed out with amusement. Ciel rolled his eyes in response. Sebastian chuckled before leaning even closer, eyes watching as Ciel's cheeks slowly colored. "But I find pride to be quite a boring sin… Now, lust is a sin that always satisfies me," he whispered seductively, watching as Ciel's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again.
'Pervert.'
"Whatever you say, Ciel," Sebastian responded mockingly before giving his butler a teasing kiss, switching their positions so Ciel was straddling him. Ciel silently protested, immensely embarrassed by the provocative position, by beating his small fists against Sebastian's shoulders. He squirmed in Sebastian's lap as he glared with pure hatred and killer intent into Sebastian's smirking eyes.
Ah yes, tonight should be quite interesting.
XXX
Ciel walked into the dance hall, stopped, and promptly turned to leave, planning on heading back to the kitchen to continue preparing the food for the party.
Too bad Lizzy saw him and proceeded to drag him back into the decorated room. "Doesn't it look cute, Ciel?" she asked excitedly, eyes gleaming with happiness and adoration at the sight of the room.
The boy could only stare blankly, eyes practically blinded by the amount of red and green that covered the once monochrome area. Twisted together, red and green streamers draped from the rafters, ornaments hanging off of them to remind the partygoers that it was a Christmas party and not just a regular social event. The walls were covered with wreaths, and sprigs of holly were positioned in every corner of the room, almost as if Lizzy didn't want for any part of the room to be undecorated. Where a wreath wasn't placed, paper snowflakes filled the space, each one different in design and size. Looking to the side, Ciel gaped at the sight of the large Christmas tree that was still being decorated by Maylene (who had to stand on a ladder to even get close to the top of the tree. Even then, the woman had to stand on her tiptoes to actually reach the top). It occupied an entire corner of the room and then some, filling the entrance-turned-dance hall with a fresh pine scent. A red skirt with white trim surrounded the bottom of the tree. Candles with alternating red and green ribbons were being carefully placed on the sturdiest branches, while ornaments were placed on the slightly weaker ones. Tinsel was haphazardly strewn all over the hall, causing the room to have an unnaturally bright shine to it. The butler looked up and could only stare at the chandelier that was now wrapped in red and green ribbons. Everything looked very Christmas-like…
… except for the plant that was hanging in the middle of a doorway that led to the dining room. Looking perplexed, Ciel walked over to the doorway and looked pointedly at the plant before looking at Lizzy, silently asking her why it had been placed there. Green eyes taking on a slightly dreamy look, the blonde girl moved closer to the butler and giggled at the look on Ciel's face.
"That's mistletoe, Ciel. You told me that Uncle Grell wanted tonight to be romantic too! This will definitely add romance to this party!" she exclaimed breathlessly, eyes becoming dreamier and dreamier the more she thought about all the couples who would pass under the Christmas plant. Ciel, completely lost, tapped his foot impatiently on the recently waxed floor, catching the daydreaming girl's attention.
"How?" Ciel mouthed, slightly annoyed at his lack of knowledge about mistletoe and its purposes. The dark-haired boy's confusion increased tenfold at the sight of the blonde girl's cheeks slightly flushing.
"Y-You don't know, Ciel?" she asked hesitantly, trying not to embarrass Ciel because of his lack of knowledge. The butler firmly shook his head. Heart fluttering at the romantic thoughts in her head, she smiled brightly, her eyes once again taking on a dreamy look.
"Well, when a couple walks under the mistletoe, or if a man and a woman happen to pass under it at the same time, then they have to kiss each other! The man plucks a berry off of the mistletoe every time he kisses the lady, and they kiss until all the berries run out or when they just want to stop (1). Isn't that so romantic, Ciel?" she asked with enthusiasm. Ciel's lack of enthusiasm clearly answered Lizzy's question.
How stupid… That is just an excuse to kiss in public. I swear, people will use any excuse to participate in behaviors and activities that are socially inappropriate. It is truly a shame. I hope I do not have to see anyone kiss under the mistletoe tonight. Especially Grell… not that I have anything against him kissing anyone. It's just that he would most likely turn a chaste kiss into something that should only take place behind closed doors. And if he happens to behave in such a way with my Master… well, that will be a disgrace to the Michaelis name, which in turn will be a disgrace to my position as head butler. No, if anything, this mistletoe will need to be removed for the sake of the properness of this party.
Lizzy pouted childishly at Ciel's lack of enthusiasm for the mistletoe. "Ciel, you are so unromantic!" she accused in a whining tone of voice. Ciel rolled his eyes, unaffected by the blonde girl's accusation; he had more important things to be deficient in besides romance. The noble girl huffed, stamping her foot, before she saw something cute that caught her attention. Squealing at the presence of the cute object, she went bouncing off, a once again bubbly ball of ribbons and bows. Ciel glared up at the hanging plant and stared it down for a minute before he sighed. He would deal with the menacing decoration at a later time; he had to prepare afternoon tea for his master and Grell.
Walking stiffly out of the main entranceway, not even bothering to announce his departure (not as if he could), the child butler made his way to the kitchen. As he entered the familiar setting, he was nearly drowned in a wave of frosting. Due to his quick reflexes, Ciel was able to dodge the stream of the sweet substance. He looked at where he had been standing to see a huge glob of white frosting slowly sliding down the wall. Glaring to see who had attacked him, he could only stare in shock and annoyance at Bard and Finny, who were running around the kitchen as if it was a playground. The red-haired gardener was wailing as he clutched onto a tube of white frosting. He was currently being chased by the blond-haired cook, a look of irritation on the cook's face.
"Finny, you idiot! Give me the frosting!" he yelled, face red from exertion and anger. Finny only wailed louder as he rounded the corner of a counter, holding onto the tube even tighter.
"B-But I want t-to help decorate the c-cakes!" he cried. Bard growled, the cigarette between his teeth clenched so tightly that the tip was about to separate and fall off.
"No! That's my job! I'm the chef!" Bard retorted as he closed in on Finny. The younger male ran even faster, dashing around the kitchen as if his life depended on it; judging by the look on Bard's face, that possibility was not completely asinine. Ciel sighed with both irritation and resignation, waiting impatiently for a chance to interject into the conflict. His chance came when Finny ran right by him, practically screaming bloody murder. With a calm facial expression and quick hands, the child butler snatched the tube of frosting right out of Finny's hands. The red-head gaped at his now empty hands, no longer paying attention to where his feet were headed. Bard was so focused on strangling Finny that he wasn't paying attention either.
CRASH!
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
Ciel sighed again, not even affected by the twin yelps of pain and surprise as the chef and the gardener crashed into the pantry. The duo fell back onto their butts, Finny landing on top of Bard, who released a grunt of pain. The child's blue eye traveled up to the top of the pantry where two containers of flour where tottering precariously on the edge of the storage area. He watched, uninterested, as the containers of flour fell onto the two males. A cloud of flour filled the air, accompanied by a pair of coughs and sneezes. Ciel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
What am I going to do with those two?
The child butler decided to focus on something else to keep his mind off of thoughts of murder… or at least severe punishment. He looked at the rest of the kitchen, relieved and a little surprised to see that the majority of the dishes he had prepared earlier that morning had been left untouched by the chaos that was Bard and Finny.
He focused on the multi-tiered cake in the center of the kitchen, stacked and balanced on decorative stilts that were shaped like Christmas trees. The cake was round of course (easier to stack) and vanilla-flavored. At the very top of the cake was a perfectly shaped snowflake, made entirely out of vanilla-flavored icing. It was intricately designed, sharp in all the right places, and carved so that the center had a vast array of geometric shapes ranging from circles to triangles. The boy had added sugar crystals into the frosting mix to make the snowflake shimmer and shine. Ciel had then taken nearly three hours making the little frosting figures of snowmen, nutcrackers, reindeer, and Santas that were placed in the center of each layer of the cake. The figures were organized so that there was only one type of each on a layer of the cake. He had then meticulously painted red and green ornaments onto the sides of each layer, using a smaller-tipped icing dispenser. The cake was Ciel's pride and joy; perfect enough to please his Master's eyes and the guests' mouths. The only thing that was missing from the cake that was probably a tad taller than Ciel was the white frosting to decorate the edges of the round cake layers. It would give the cake the appearance of having snow trimming it, finishing off the wintry look and theme.
Ciel tore his eyes away from his creation to focus on his fellow servants. Covered in flour, Bard and Finny were still sneezing, wiping under their noses miserably. When Ciel saw that Bard was about to start yelling at Finny, he stepped towards the pair. Kneeling on the floor, he used the tip of his gloved finger to write in the flour dust that covered the area. The older males watched as the butler wrote; when he finished, they moved to read what he had written.
If you two are done fooling around and destroying the kitchen, I have an important job for the two of you.
Finny's eyes lit up excitedly while Bard had a proud look on his face.
"What do you want us to do, Ciel?" Finny asked ecstatically. Bard looked expectantly at the dark-haired boy, internally jumping with excitement. Ciel silently moved off of the floor, wiping his flour-coated trousers before he walked out of the kitchen. The two servants looked at the door before they looked at each other with confusion, wondering why the boy had suddenly left. Ciel returned a few minutes later with a mop, broom, dustpan, bucket of water, and blank facial expression. Wordlessly, he dumped all of the items except for the bucket of water onto the older males. Finny yelped when the broom fell onto the floor. Bard rubbed at his forehead that had been whacked by the handle of the mop. With a stern facial expression, Ciel pointed at the mess they had made in the kitchen before looking sharply at them.
"Clean up this mess immediately. I want this kitchen to be spotless. Once you are done with doing that, get dressed in your outfits that I have lain out on your respective beds. Do you two understand?" he mouthed before setting his mouth in a firm line. He refused to have his reputation as the Michaelis butler ruined by the blonde and the redhead sitting in the pile of flour on the floor. Hopes perpetually crushed, the pair nodded solemnly, eyes saddened since both of them weren't going to be able to frost the cake. Ciel looked down silently at the older males before he sighed.
"If you do so quickly, you can have a taste of the frosting…" he mouthed.
Finny's eyes instantly lit up with child-like happiness; Bard was equally pleased, but he hid his happiness, choosing only to smile with a hint of joy at the child butler.
"Yes, sir!" they called out simultaneously.
XXX
'Lean down, my lord…'
"Ooh? Are you already asking for a kiss? How polite of you, my pet…" Sebastian responded, eyes teasing. Ciel glared up at the taller male, clearly not in the mood for his jests.
'Shut up and try to not be a pervert for once in your immortal life.'
"Now, now, there is no need to be so hostile. Just because it seems as if Nature is playing a cruel joke on you for making you shorter than the average male of 13 years…"
'What? That's preposterous! My height has nothing to do with this! And besides, I'm perfectly normal; any boy who is taller than me is abnormal,' Ciel said in a pissed tone. His eyes were threatening, daring the demon to try and tease him about his height or go against his logic.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, smirking down at the angered petite boy. "Well, that's quite a large number of abnormalities in the human race…"
'Master!' Ciel cut in hostilely, eyes flashing as he grinded his teeth together. He already knew that he wasn't exactly the tallest boy in his age group… or among living species for that matter. All he had to do was tilt his head way back to look at Sebastian; it was all the evidence he needed. But that didn't mean he wanted to be reminded of his lack of height… especially by Sebastian of all people. [Just because he's freakishly tall doesn't mean that he should insult me for my… temporary lack of height. Just wait; soon, I'll be as tall if not taller than him. Then we'll see who has the last laugh…] Ciel privately thought with vengeance. Smugly smirking, Sebastian chuckled with amusement before he poked at the area between Ciel's glaring eyes.
"You really shouldn't glare so much. Wrinkles are quite unappealing on pretty faces like yours," Sebastian said, eyes again teasing. Ciel huffed before slapping Sebastian's hand away from his forehead.
'Can you please lean down so that I may tie your tie? Honestly, it should not take three hours to get dressed!' Ciel complained, moody from being around Sebastian for such a long period of time. The demon raised an eyebrow before finally leaning down.
"I cannot help that I wish to look my best for my guests. Besides, if my memory serves me correctly, a certain human was resisting my advances the entire time. Instead of just complying with my thoughtful requests, he decided to fight against me, making the task of dressing me much longer than it needed to be…" Sebastian said, looking at Ciel with amused eyes. The young teen snorted, focusing on the silky material in his hand instead of the sharply-dressed demon it was being tied to. Once it was tied to Ciel's liking, the boy released the tie and stepped away from his master.
The demon, who normally dressed in dark (mainly black) colors, was now dressed in an all-white tuxedo. The buttons on the demon's tailcoat were polished so they shone brightly, looking like pure silver gems. His white dress pants had been ironed with extensive care, and his white shoes were polished and shiny. He also had a white cane to go with his outfit; on top of the cane that was leaning against the bed was a white top hat. Of course, Sebastian was wearing white gloves that were probably whiter than the purest snow. The only thing that was a different color on the outfit was the vest worn underneath the pure white tailcoat, which was a very light-blue.
The raven-haired male turned to look at himself in the mirror, focusing on the well-tied silk tie. "Well done, my pet. You managed to tie a suitable knot," he said with slight surprise. Ciel's eyebrow twitched slightly at the hint of surprise in his master's tone, but he didn't say anything about it.
'You look quite different when you are not dressed in the exact same colors…' Ciel commented honestly, still trying to get used to seeing Sebastian in something light-colored for a change. Sebastian twisted and turned around, looking at himself in all his white-colored glory. He frowned, a critical look on his immaculate face.
"I don't like this look," he said after a while. Ciel rolled his eyes and went to the bed to retrieve his master's cane and top hat.
'Too bad. It is what your fiancée wishes for you to wear, and it is too late to change your entire outfit. You will just have to deal with it,' he said before thrusting the cane and hat at Sebastian. The demon ignored his human butler and continued to stare at himself.
"But I am quite uncomfortable in this. I do not feel like I am being true to myself," Sebastian stated seriously. Ciel sighed and forced Sebastian to hold the cane before he moved to the stool by the mirror. Pissed that he had to use it, the child butler stepped onto the stool and gingerly set the white top hat on Sebastian's head.
'You are being ridiculous, my lord. You are still the same perverted, lazy, and arrogant demon that I know and despise with a passion,' Ciel replied in a matter-of-face tone. He jumped off of the stool and stood beside his master. Sebastian cocked his head to the side.
"Was that supposed to cheer me up? If so, you need to work on your-" Sebastian never finished that statement. Ciel had jumped back onto the stool and was currently kissing him sweetly on the cheek. The demon's red eyes widened to comic proportions at the unexpected romantic gesture. Ciel quickly pulled away, not meeting his master's stunned gaze. His cheeks were as red as Sebastian's ruby eyes.
'Better? Honestly, you look handsome as always, Master.' With that final remark, Ciel bowed and quickly exited the room, not waiting for Sebastian to come out of his shocked state. The child butler leaned against the door of his master's bedroom, heart pounding and cheeks still stained an endearing red. He placed a hand over his heart as he tried to calm himself.
[Why did I just do that? There was no need for me to do such a thing. I mean, I know I was just thinking of a way to simultaneously shut and cheer him up, but now he will get the wrong idea!]
Ciel inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, feeling his cheeks gradually calm down. He swallowed and moved away from the door. I do not have the time to be thinking of such frivolous things! I have to get myself ready for this party! With that final thought and a look of determination, Ciel walked quickly to his room, pushing all thoughts of Sebastian and kissing to the back of his mind. He entered his room, slightly apprehensive for a moment. He sighed and closed the door once he was sure there were no stalker demons hiding somewhere in his room. Ever since he had been attacked by Father Gregory's mate, Ciel had been slightly afraid to be alone in his room. In fact, the day Sebastian finally left his room because Madam Red said that the boy was medically stable, Ciel nearly had a panic attack. Of course, he never told anyone about that particular moment of weakness. He was already ashamed that he had to depend on his master for a week; he didn't want to add on to his personal shame.
The child butler sighed again before he moved to his wardrobe. Sebastian had told him that an outfit had been picked out by his fiancée and that he would find it among his other uniforms. Ciel was slightly curious and confused as to why Grell had taken the time to pick out an outfit for a mere servant (especially one he hated), but when he opened the wardrobe, he got his answer. On a white-colored butler outfit, the word, "Slutface", was painted in bold, red letters across the front. White-hot anger raced through Ciel before he angrily slammed the doors of his bureau shut. Shaking with rage, the boy remained motionless as he attempted to calm himself down.
That… That bastard! How dare he make such an accusation against me? Slutface? What is he, a teenager?
Ciel stormed away from the wardrobe and threw himself onto his bed, pissed beyond words. He had known that Grell hated him, but for him to go so far as to slander his good name on a perfectly fine suit was too much. Hatred towards the red-haired death god grew inside the little human. His hands clenched and unclenched in his sheets as he tried and failed several times to calm himself. Oh, what he would give to be able to punch the flamboyant reaper in the face. A cruel smile formed on the child's face just at the thought. He huffed and rolled over, glaring moodily at the ceiling.
[Why am I the one always being targeted? I didn't even want to have sex with Sebastian in the first place! And yet, Grell treats the whole situation as if it's my fault! As if I started everything! If anything, I should be the one who is angry! I was dragged into this life of servitude completely against my will! IT'S SO UNFAIR! Everyone else can act childishly and do whatever the hell they want without repercussions, but God forbid I do something out of line, I get punished for it!]
He frowned angrily before he sighed. It would do no good to get angry about something that he couldn't change. He would just have to find out a way to get the red stain out of the suit. A small smirk formed on his face. If he showed up to the party in a pristine, all-white butler suit, Grell would certainly be pissed at his plan being foiled. With images of an overdramatic reaper in a rage filling his pretty little head, Ciel moved off of the bed and back to his wardrobe. He pulled the ruined suit from its hanger and spread it out on the bed.
He could feel a flash of anger run through his body just looking at the crudely-written letters, but he shoved that feeling down as quickly as it rose inside of him. There was no way that he could remove the stain by simple washing and treating methods. A contemplative look formed on the young teen's face as he continued to look at the accusatory letters. From what he could see, the words weren't written in a dye of some sort. On closer inspection, he found that the letters were written with red paint. Ciel tentatively ran a gloved thumb over the "S" in "Slutface". He blinked with surprise as the paint easily flaked off from his gentle touch. Intrigued, Ciel started rubbing the "S" a little harder; a small smirk formed on his face as even more paint chips flaked off and fell onto the bed.
Leave it to someone like Grell to buy such cheap paint.
The boy set down to the arduous task of picking off the paint that formed the slanderous word. When the "e" in "Slutface" was completely picked off, Ciel pulled away with a self-satisfied sigh. Although the red stain wasn't completely gone, at least it wasn't so prominent.
But how will I get rid of a red stain on a pure white suit?
A brilliant idea popped into Ciel's head, and he gave himself a mental pat on the back. If only you knew who you were messing with Grell…
The child butler exited his bedroom and headed for the wash room, practically teeming with confidence and sadistic happiness; after all, everyone likes to ruin their enemy's plans. His sadistic happiness was slightly quelled when he had to pull out a stool to reach what he needed, but only slightly. Ciel held the box of bleach powder in his hand and smirked (2). Bleach was used to make white things whiter; it would certainly work on taking out a red stain on his white suit. The servant walked back to his bedroom and took the suit to his bathroom. He soaked the suit jacket in the sink before sprinkling the bleach onto the red stains. He vigorously rubbed the bleach into the stain and breathed a sigh of relief when the red was replaced by a clean and bright white. He pulled the jacket out of the sink and looked at his handiwork with an accomplished smirk. The suit looked like new; yes, it was dripping wet, but it was white.
Ciel walked back to the washroom, checking his pocket watch as he walked. It was currently 7:35 PM; he had plenty of time to dry his coat and dress himself before even the early guests arrived. Feeling accomplished, the child butler entered the washroom and put his recently bleached coat through the dryer. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the pure white coat fall into the basket. It was a little wrinkled, but a quick ironing job would take the offending things right out. Ciel picked up the coat and walked over to the ironing board. He heated the iron and professionally ironed out the wrinkles in the once-ruined suit jacket. Pride filling his entire being as he held up the clean and unblemished coat, Ciel couldn't stop a small smile from forming on his face.
He exited the washroom and returned his bedroom. He placed the clean jacket on top of the rest of the outfit and started to change out of his stiff and dark suit. He removed his pocket watch from the pocket of his tailcoat and placed it on the bed. His eyes lingered on the beautiful watch for a moment before he tore them away; he had to focus on changing, not pondering on the origins of the watch. The butler unbuttoned his black tailcoat and folded it neatly, setting it off to the side so that he would remember to properly hang it at a later time. He loosened his black tie before untying it and also folding it, setting it on top of the folded tailcoat. He quickly unbuttoned his vest and dress shirt, shrugging out of the materials and allowing for them to fall to the floor. Unwillingly, his eyes focused on the hideous scar on his neck. He swallowed unsteadily and placed a hand over it, closing his eyes and willing down the bile that was starting to accumulate in his mouth. Looking at the scar made him have flashbacks of that fateful night.
[If I had just listened to my instincts, I would still be able to talk. I wouldn't have to try and cover up this hideous scar because it would be nonexistent. Even though I want to move on with no regrets, I… have regrets. My own foolishness caused this; I could've done more to make Sebastian stay with me. I could've just gone with him to meet the mysterious person. But no, I decided to keep my mouth shut… And now I can't call out to him, to anyone, anymore.]
His eyes stung as he continued to berate himself with his regrets. Slowly, he opened his eyes and removed his hand from his scar. The dark brown line was just so noticeable against his pale skin; he looked apprehensively at the suit Grell brought him. Hopefully it covered the scar; if not, Ciel had a long night of whispers, stares, and alienation ahead of him.
No longer pleased even by the thought of ruining Grell's plan, Ciel solemnly put on the brand new dress shirt and vest. Unlike Sebastian, all of his clothing was white; if his outfit had looked like Sebastian's, the nobles surely would have been in an uproar. Ciel smirked humorlessly at the thought.
Honestly, people in high society have such frivolous concerns. Who cares if a servant matches his master?
Brow furrowing in concentration, Ciel attempted to tie the silky white tie as professionally as possible. His eyebrow twitched when it was slightly off-center, but since he was already in a bad mood, he found that he didn't give a damn. He removed his butler gloves and donned dress ones; to him, they looked exactly the same as his regular ones, but he snorted when the thought crossed his mind that the nobles would probably notice the difference. Wiggling his fingers in the silken material, he nodded when he found that they didn't restrict his fingers' movements. It would be quite troublesome if he couldn't move his fingers properly to attend to his duties during the party. Ciel sighed and moved to take off his trousers. In all honesty, Ciel was not at all excited about this party; it was not as if he was actually going to participate in anything in the first place. For him, it was just another night of work, only he had to act polite and respectable to even the most boisterous of guests.
Folding the trousers and the dropped dress shirt and vest, Ciel donned the white dress pants and was surprised to see a pair of white dress shoes on the bed as well.
Looks as if Grell was more generous than I had hoped…
He slipped out of his working shoes and slid on the shoes, expertly tying the laces; he straightened himself out and looked at himself in the mirror. Thankfully, the collar was high enough on his dress shirt that it covered the ugly scar. It was a very well-designed butler suit, elegant yet reserved. Ciel smoothed out offending wrinkles and fixed his hair to the best of his abilities. He was dressed in all-white; the only thing that was a different color was his black eye patch. Ciel glanced at the bed and sighed; Grell didn't go as far as he hoped to make sure he matched completely. The child butler brushed his bangs more to the side with the eye patch to better cover it; not only was it a symbol of his disability, but it also didn't match the rest of his outfit. Again, Ciel didn't really care but when it came to high society, such a thing could cause quite the uproar.
Smirking sardonically, Ciel removed his normal uniform from his bed and hung it in his wardrobe. He reached for the pocket watch on his bed and clipped one end to the hook on the inside of his jacket; he slipped the accessory into the inside pocket on the opposite side of the jacket, making sure that the polished chain was visible across his midsection. Looking himself over one last time, he fixed little things on his attire, such as straightening out his collar and picking off random threads. When he was finally satisfied, he pulled out his pocket watch and nodded. It was now 7:57 PM; he had enough time to do one last minute check of the food preparations and the dance hall before he needed to be outside to greet the guests. Sighing, Ciel exited and secured his room, walking down the hall with a disgruntled facial expression. The sooner this party was over, the better.
The child butler rounded the corner and nearly froze in his tracks. Sebastian was currently walking leisurely down the hall, no doubt looking over the manor to make sure that it was presentable enough in case some of the nosier guests decided to look around the place. He was absentmindedly twirling and twisting a piece of fabric in his hands as he looked around the hallway. Ciel silently ran through several options to avoid running into his older demon master; who knew what Sebastian would do after that kiss on the cheek?
[Let's see… I can always nonchalantly turn around and go the other way to the kitchens. He isn't looking in my direction at the moment, so I do have a chance to escape. Or I could hide in one of these rooms. Well, maybe he doesn't think much of that kiss on the cheek; I certainly don't! There was no meaning behind it whatsoever… at least, romantically anyway. Ugh, just the thought of doing something for a romantic reason with Sebastian disgusts me! Ahem, maybe I should just walk past him as quickly as possible. Yes, that seems to be the best option: he could attack me from behind if I tried to turn around now, and he could probably take advantage of me if I hid in a room. Alright then… I'll just have to keep my head down to avoid all eye contact and move at a nonchalant but quick pace. Yes, that's it.]
Plan in mind, Ciel proceeded to bow his head and slightly quicken his pace. Sebastian raised an eyebrow as Ciel moved to walk right past him. He smirked, deciding to play around with his meal. When Ciel was a few feet past him, no doubt feeling as if his mission had been accomplished (which he did), Sebastian turned around.
"Pet? I believe you forgot to do something," he called out in a teasing tone. Ciel froze and gritted his teeth, pissed that his plan had been foiled.
Damn demon…
'I heard that…'
…
Ciel sighed and turned around to face his master… who was literally less than 10 inches away from him. Ciel's eyes widened in surprise at the demon's close proximity.
[Must he always move without being detected? Honestly, he's such a show-off…]
Sebastian's smirk widened at Ciel's wide-eyed facial expression. Deciding to tease his adorable pet even more, he leaned down to whisper in Ciel's ear. "I believe you forgot something when you did that little kiss-and-run," he whispered hotly, purposely putting his lips close enough to where Ciel could feel them brush against his ear. The boy shivered, face flushing a little. He swallowed nervously and calmed himself down, trying to think about what he could've possibly left behind. He didn't remember bringing anything into the room besides Sebastian's outfit.
'What nonsense are you spewing, my lord? I did not bring anything in the room with me,' Ciel responded in an annoyed tone. Sebastian chuckled and moved away from Ciel's ear. Gently, he rested a hand on Ciel's cheek. Ciel's eyes widened even more as he looked up to see Sebastian regarding him with intense eyes. The feel of the man's cool hand on his face alerted Ciel to the fact that he was blushing, which only made him even more flustered.
[What is wrong with me? He's just touching my face and looking at me… with intense eyes. This is nothing to blush about!]
Despite his thoughts, he could feel his blush intensifying with every passing second. Trying to figure out what could possibly be on the demon's mind, he moved to remove the older male's hand from his face, but the hand moved, causing Ciel to freeze in place. Tenderly, Sebastian's hand moved up the side of Ciel's face, his eyes looking deep into Ciel's confused one. His gloved hand slowly moved under the boy's black eye patch; Ciel gasped when he felt the material fall off of his face and onto the floor. Now looking up at Sebastian with both eyes, Ciel's confusion increased tenfold. Sebastian chuckled and held up the piece of fabric he had been absentmindedly playing with earlier. Ciel felt his breath catch when he realized that it was a pure white eye patch.
"We can't have anything on you looking out of place, now can we?" Sebastian stated with slight humor as he winked. Ciel was honestly speechless; he hadn't expected for his master to go through the effort of having a white eye patch available to him for the party. He could only nod dumbly, eyes still wide. Sebastian's facial expression softened as he leaned down and, with a hint of tenderness, put the white eye patch on Ciel. Ciel noted that the material of this eye patch was different from the cotton one he normally wore; it felt lighter, softer, and much more comfortable. The demon pulled away to appraise his servant; he nodded with approval.
"You look much better, my pet. Much more coordinated if you ask me," Sebastian commented. Ciel didn't say anything; he merely brought a hand up to his covered eye, a thoughtful look on his face. Sebastian's smirk morphed into a small smile, his voice taking on a softer, tenderer tone as he said, "You look just as pure as the whitest snow, Ciel."
Ciel's heart skipped a beat at both Sebastian's tone and his words. He shakily opened his mouth to speak before he remembered that he lost that ability. He closed his mouth and looked off to the side.
'You know that I am the exact opposite of that, yes? To describe me as pure is almost an insult, my lord…' Ciel responded in a tone filled with melancholy. Sebastian blinked before he chuckled softly.
"No matter what you may have done in my bedroom or in your past, you are still and always will be, my pure pet," Sebastian stated. Ciel's head snapped in Sebastian's direction, eyes wide with surprise. He looked deep into the older male's eyes, but there was an unrecognizable look that he had never seen before.
'Isn't that the exact opposite of what you would want for your meal, my lord?'
Sebastian paused as he contemplated his pet's question. "With you, I think I can make an exception," he said in a serious, but soft tone.
Almost like everything was happening in slow motion, Sebastian's hand reached to cup the back of Ciel's neck. Very gently, Ciel felt his head being pulled backwards so that he was looking straight up at the much taller noble. The young teen felt a hand wrap around his waist and pull him closer to his demon master. Automatically, Ciel's hands moved to rest on Sebastian's chest, his eyes gazing intently into ruby-red depths. For just that moment, the world seemed to stop around the pair; Ciel was only aware of his master, and Sebastian was only aware of his pet. Nothing else existed; nothing else mattered.
And just like that, the moment was shattered.
Ciel felt pressure on the back of his neck, gently guiding his head up to be closer to Sebastian's. The demon's eyes lidded and Ciel felt his own lower as well.
Closer… Closer…
Ciel could feel Sebastian's breath tickling his lips from their closeness.
And then, contact.
With a kiss that would leave women swooning and men jealous of their lack of romanticism, Sebastian made Ciel's heart practically explode as his lips gently captured his butler's. Ciel felt his knees go weak as Sebastian deepened the kiss. His face was tinged a light pink, and he had to keep reminding himself to breathe. His hands trembled against his master's strong chest; the boy didn't know if he should push Sebastian away or pull him closer. The kiss was clouding his mind and leaving all thought-processes at a standstill; all thoughts of protest were being decimated with each passing second. And then, Ciel closed his eyes… and decided to let go of his inhibitions. Standing on his tiptoes, the boy tilted his head to further deepen the kiss and kissed his master back.
The immortal had not expected that.
At all.
He had expected for Ciel to push him away, to hit him, to berate him… NOT to kiss him back. But the demon was not complaining; to the contrary. The demon was quite pleased. He expressed his pleasure through the kiss, murmuring sweet things against his pet's soft and wet lips. Ciel had no idea what he was doing; he kept mentally responding to the sweet things his master murmured against his lips with words and promises he never imagined he would say. He felt like he was in a dream; every sensation, every word, every brush of his master's lips against his own felt so unreal. Passion was filtering into the kiss, and with it, feelings of want, need, desire filled the boy's consciousness and body. It was becoming too much for him to handle; at any moment, he felt like he was going to faint. And suddenly, he was floating.
Well, to be realistic, he wasn't actually floating. Sebastian was starting to feel passion for the young child race through his body, and he had removed his hands from Ciel's neck and waist to rest on the back of his thighs and pick him up, pressing him against the wall. Ciel wrapped his arms around his master's neck and allowed for the demon to do whatever he pleased.
XXX
"Mmmm…"
Grell, who had been walking down a hall parallel to the one where Sebastian and Ciel were currently passionately kissing, stopped dead in his tracks. The death god had been looking for his fiancé to try and privately apologize before the party started. They had gotten in a HUGE fight (well, Grell thought it was huge; Sebastian couldn't give two-shits about it) over the death god's attire. While the demon was dressed in a white suit, the other immortal had vied for a bright red tuxedo with white, fluffy trim at the bottom of the pants, the cuffs of the suit jacket, and around the rim of the red top hat. Sebastian had vehemently (nonchalantly) pointed out the outfit's color, and the death god had responded overdramatically, thinking that Sebastian had a hatred for his entire existence (which wasn't far off from the truth, but let's focus on the fight…). Sebastian had started yelling (he raised an eyebrow and spoke calmly) and asked why he wasn't wearing white so they matched. Grell, again, had taken the inquiry to heart and had proceeded to throw a vase at the demon's head, screaming that he hated him. The immortal had blocked the attack and stomped (walked) out of the room with a roar of rage (a sigh of exhaustion). Grell had taken a walk and had thought about his actions; he then declared to the sky (since he had been walking outside) that he could not live without his true love and ran back into the manor to find his fiancé and apologize.
Well, it was more like stalking since he had been hiding behind plants and inside suits of armor whenever the demon would turn around or glance over his shoulder, but who cares about details, right?
Sebastian's fiancée raised an eyebrow at the provocative sound. When he heard the rustle of clothing and a loud gasp, Grell instantly thought of the mute slutface that worked in his fiancé's manor. Blinded by rage, the immortal dashed from his position in the hall to confront the promiscuous butler.
That whore is probably masturbating in Sebastian's halls! I'll show him what it means to gasp in my Sebby's manor while he does such a scandalous thing! He's probably imagining my fiancé, but I won't allow him to get away with doing that! Sebby is mine; only I can masturbate to thoughts of him!
The red-haired immortal rounded the corner and froze in his tracks. Instead of seeing the lecherous boy spread out on the floor with his pants around his ankles and his hands pumping his member, he saw Sebastian holding the petite boy against a wall… and passionately kissing him. At first, Grell thought he was seeing a figment of his imagination.
"Mmm… Ciel, so pure…"
A light smack from Ciel was delivered to the back of Sebastian's head in response to his statement.
Sebastian's chuckle and husky tone as he continued to whisper and wetly kiss the child filled Grell's ears and thoughts. The death god felt his heart shatter to a million pieces as he watched one of Ciel's gloved hands move from around Sebastian's neck to tangle in his hair, knocking the top hat off of Sebastian's head. The heartbroken immortal waited for some reprimand for messing with Sebastian's style from the demon, but his fiancé just continued to passionately kiss Ciel.
S-Sebastian… My fiancé… Why…? Why are you doing such a thing… with that human? Am I not good enough? Do you not… love me?
Grell practically had a heart attack from the mere thought.
Of course he loves me! That… That… That whore must have him under some kind of spell! How dare he run his hands through my Sebastian's hair like he fuckin' owns him? SEBASTIAN IS MINE!
Grell's razor-sharp teeth glinted in the candlelight as he bared them at the unwitting couple. Oh, how he wanted to tear Ciel apart; he could feel his hands itching for his death scythe.
Forget the list of who's supposed to die! I'll write Ciel's name there myself! He can't even kiss right! He's too busy gasping and panting and touching and- Wait a minute.
The flamboyant immortal actually shoved down his rage and jealousy and coolly analyzed the pair for a moment. His bright-green eyes watched Ciel's every move as the boy "horribly" kissed his fiancé. Slowly, a wide smirk spread on the death god's face; yes, Ciel definitely didn't know how to kiss. The wheels in Grell's mind began to turn as a plan started to form.
Oh, I'll show that human how to really kiss.
For once, Grell actually didn't make a huge, overdramatic exit. With a smile that would rival the Cheshire cat's from Alice in Wonderland, Grell slipped into the shadows of the adjacent hall, leaving the couple in peace… for now.
XXX
Ciel shivered violently as he stepped inside his master's lavish manor. He had just greeted the last guest and was currently taking said guest's coat and top hat, despite the fact that he was chilled to the bone and wanted nothing more than to curl up by the fire.
Honestly, nobles can be so obnoxious! What does he think I am, the sun? It's cold out there!
Ciel managed to smile politely at the guest who had kept him waiting in the blustery weather until 9:15 at night. The man ignored him and immediately went to go and flirt with a group of single ladies. Ciel sighed tiredly, already annoyed by the presence of so many fake and superficial people in one room.
The party was now in full swing, just like Ciel had predicted it to be. The orchestra that was positioned at the top of the staircase was playing a lively Christmas carol; the most eligible gents and ladies were dancing to the song, faces alight with merriment. The boy's eyes followed a random couple as they twirled around the dance floor before he got bored and scanned the crowd for his fellow servants. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that both Maylene and Finny were behaving and had yet to screw anything up.
The child butler shuddered when he suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring intensely at him. Following his instincts, he looked around the ballroom until he identified the person who was looking at him; Sebastian, his master, was currently standing on the wall on the opposite side of the room, blood-red eyes trained on Ciel's petite form. Ever since they had shared that passionate kiss in the hall before the party, Sebastian had been sending signals to the boy, all of which suggested a rendezvous in a dark room… alone… naked… and doing things that polite society would have a heart attack over. Consequently, Ciel had been avoiding his demon master like the plague, still afraid that the older male would harm him like he did before he lost his voice box. But not only that, Ciel could feel a small part of himself that wanted to participate in said rendezvous. A part of him felt almost magnetically attracted to the supernatural being's look, to the supernatural being's voice, to the supernatural being's body… which only made the child butler more determined to stay away from Sebastian.
I won't allow for him to touch me yet. I'm still recovering from that mate's attack; if I was to attempt to keep up with his recent pace, I would surely break.
Feeling highly uncomfortable with the near-predatory look in Sebastian's eyes, Ciel tore his eyes away from the demon's and quickly moved to hang up the late guest's coat and hat. He had duties to fulfill tonight; he couldn't just stand around and allow for himself to be seduced by the looks his master was giving him.
Once the guest's coat and hat were hung properly, Ciel straightened out his attire and mentally readied himself to silently serve food to the guests; this would require for Ciel to actually be social and hospitable, two things that were nearly foreign concepts to him. It wasn't that the boy was mean at heart; it was just that he wasn't comfortable in social situations… or with people in general. Sighing for the umpteenth time, the servant moved out of the closet and headed to the kitchen. Spotting a tray readied for him by Tanaka, who was also on duty since his illness wasn't currently hindering him, the boy grabbed for it and balanced it with one hand. He used the other to exit the room and head back out to the party. Plastering on a polite expression and a small smile, Ciel moved into the warzone, a.k.a. the outskirts of the dance floor. Tanaka had told the boy to peruse this area the most during the party since it would be where most people would socialize and gossip; it got its nickname from the drama that often took place. The older butler had warned the boy to only approach those that appeared to be calm and gracious; anyone else and there was a possibility that the items on the tray would end up on Ciel instead.
Noticing a sharply dressed man in a black tuxedo talking to a woman in a flowing, gold-colored gown, he approached the pair since they had neither a drink nor any appetizer in their well-manicured hands. At first, neither of the nobles noticed Ciel's presence; finally, a lull in the conversation caused the woman to look around the floor, no doubt trying to find a way to get away from the boring man. Her honey-colored eyes looked down and focused on Ciel, who merely made a gesture towards the lemonade glasses he had on his tray. The made-up woman didn't say anything; she merely stared at the boy. It took Ciel a while to finally figure out why she wasn't doing anything. The noblewoman expected for Ciel, a servant, to properly address her.
This… will be quite problematic…
When Ciel just kept looking blankly at the woman, physically unable to address her, the woman looked insulted and whispered loudly to the man. "That servant there, he is quite rude! He won't properly address me!"
Ciel felt his heart sink when the man turned to him with a hostile look in his gray eyes. The nobleman looked surprised when instead of seeing an adult, he saw a petite boy looking up at him with a polite facial expression. The rich man chuckled and motioned at Ciel while he said to the woman, "Oh, Clarice, don't be bothered by that. It's just some servant's child that is trying to have a little fun." Ciel resisted the urge to glare at the man who had an obvious blond toupee on as he bent down, speaking to him like one would to a small child. "Now, now, run along, little boy. This party is for adults, so please allow for your father to do his job. This is no time for you to play." Ciel couldn't resist narrowing his eyes slightly, a small frown forming on his once polite face.
Are these people idiots? Of course I'm not playing! What kind of kid would play that he is a butler at a party?
Ciel shook his head and gestured at his uniform to suggest that he was actually a butler. The pair of nobles looked at Ciel like he had grown a second head. Clarice looked at the man again, whispering something behind her ring-adorned hand. The man nodded and gave Ciel a sharp look. "Young man, I don't appreciate this kind of insolence, especially in front of a lady!" Ciel had to strongly resist the urge to roll his eyes at that statement; the only reason the guy was even making a big deal out of Ciel's silence was because he was trying to impress the lady.
Must all men be complete idiots when it comes to the opposite sex…?
Ciel finally mouthed, "I can't speak," to the nobles. They blinked, looking at Ciel like he had spoken in a foreign tongue. Suddenly, Clarice's face lit up with delight and amusement, which greatly confused Ciel.
"He's a mute! Oh, Jonathon, he can't speak because he's a mute!" she exclaimed loudly before she started giggling. Jonathon blinked before he broke out in a wide grin. He laughed jovially, attracting the attention of some partygoers that were close by. Ciel noticed this and had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that things were about to take a turn for the worse. Jonathon grinned down at Ciel, eyes maliciously amused.
"Well, that explains everything! Mutes always did have problems in the head!" he said boastfully, as if he had discovered something brand new. The woman politely laughed; her laughs increased when Jonathon proceeded to flick Ciel in the side of his head. Ciel, stunned at the man's boldness, stood in one place, still trying to get over what had just happened.
"Yes, my sister told me once about how mutes are only one step away from being idiots (3); her husband is a psychiatrist, you know. I never would have thought I would see a mute outside of an asylum. They usually feel more comfortable with other bethlehemites (4)," Clarice commented, looking at Ciel as if he was a fascinating circus attraction. Ciel's eyes widened at the woman's word choices.
She thinks I'm a bethlehemite? But there is nothing wrong with my mind! I just can't speak…
A random red-haired man came over to the pair of amused nobles and jabbed Jonathon in the ribs with his elbow, a smirk on his face. "Be careful there, my good man. I think you're scaring the little kid," he said, pointing at Ciel before guffawing. A lady with her hair done in a bun sauntered over; by now, any nobles in the area were intently focused on the boy. Ciel could feel his cheeks heat up with embarrassment and anger; he couldn't verbally or physically defend himself. He couldn't tell the group of laughing nobles that he could perfectly understand everything around him. It hurt his pride and, even though he would never admit it, his feelings.
"Now, now, leave the poor thing alone. If you are not going to communicate with it in its own language, it won't be able to understand you. Just look! It's getting frustrated!" she exclaimed.
I'm an 'it' now?
A man with a ridiculously styled moustache and a huge potbelly decided to step in, offering his own two-cents. "Alright, everyone! Stand back; I know how to deal with such beasts," he bellowed loudly. The glasses started to shake on the tray Ciel was holding dangerously tight; they weren't shaking from fear, but from anger. Ciel knew that he couldn't defend himself, even if he had been able to talk. As a servant, he barely had any rights; if he attempted to act out against those in a higher position, he knew he would be punished by his master. Not only that, his actions would reflect badly on Sebastian, which could affect his master's social position.
He resisted the urge to spit in the man's ruddy face when the obnoxious partygoer leaned down so that he was face level with Ciel. Talking in a loud, tone-deaf, and very slow tone, the man asked, "DO… YOU….. UNDERSTAND… WHAT… I'M… SAYING…?"
Ciel inwardly sighed at the man's idiocy and decided to just go along with him. Hopefully they will leave me alone if I just go along with this… The child butler nodded, face reddening even more when the crowd that had formed around him started cheering and clapping like he had done an amazing trick.
"He understands! It's a miracle!" one crowd member called out. The fat noble straightened out proudly, looking as if he was the greatest man in the world. Clarice and Jonathon, the original nobles who had started making fun of Ciel, looked fascinated at his response. Clarice gently patted Jonathon's arm and looked up at him excitedly.
"Oh, Jonathon, you simply must try to feed it. It would be so cute to watch it eat!" she exclaimed with delight. Ciel felt his eyebrow twitch at that one, and he turned to leave, fed up with being insulted. He stumbled back when a wiener on the end of a toothpick was practically shoved in his uncovered eye.
"Here you go, mutie!" a lad no older than eight shouted in Ciel's face. Flustered, Ciel opened and closed his mouth, taken completely by surprise. A shriek nearly ripped open Ciel's eardrum, and he found that he had accidentally stepped on a random lady's foot when he had stumbled backwards. The lady's date, a burly man with tan skin, whirled around to see who had startled his lady. Ciel attempted to apologize and gestured at her foot, offering to look at it to make sure it wasn't severely injured, but the woman shrieked again.
"It touched me! The mute touched me!" she screamed, acting as if the mere idea was going to kill her. The spastic woman threw her full glass of lemonade on Ciel, accompanied by rowdy shouts and cheers of encouragement.
"Atta girl! That's how you feed beasts such as that!" the man with the ridiculous moustache shouted, his eyes alight with excitement. The little boy that had shoved the wiener in Ciel's face squealed with delight when he threw it at Ciel.
Before Ciel could even wrap his mind around what was going on, appetizers and drinks were being thrown at and on him, as if he was some kind of wild animal that didn't know how to properly eat or defend itself. Ciel attempted to defend himself from the attacks, but consequently, he dropped the tray of lemonade glasses he had been holding.
That's when the real chaos began.
"Ahahaha, look at it! The mute's actually trying to defend itself!" one man hollered.
"No, no! He's doing a trick! He's trying to entertain us!" a boisterous woman cried out.
"Oh goody! Do another one, mute! Another one!" a girl that looked about Lizzy's age with stringy brown hair called out, clapping her hands excitedly. Ciel was so humiliated and shocked; he could only watch with wide eyes as the crowd of refined nobles turned into a cruel mob. He attempted to shove his way out of the crowd, but he was pushed back every time. One person actually had the nerve to shove a small honey cake into Ciel's mouth. Taken by surprise, Ciel choked on the food and spat it out, causing the crowd to hoot and jeer.
"Look at it, mother! It's so idiotic that it can't even eat right!" a boy with spots on his face shouted. Ciel felt someone tug on one of the tails of his coat, and he fell into the puddle of lemonade and glass with a loud crunching sound. Ciel gasped at the pain from both the fall and the bits of glass that were digging into his skin. He tried to get back up, to defend himself, to do anything to get out of his predicament, but the nobles blocked every single attempt. More abusive and humiliating words were shouted at him as more food and liquids were hurled and thrown on him. Running out of options, Ciel could only curl into the fetal position, covering his face from the objects his body was being pelted with.
I'm a human being! Why am I being treated like this? Is it not already bad enough that I can't speak? Why do I have to be humiliated and abused for it? It's not my fault! Why won't they leave me alone? Why won't someone stop them?
The abuse and borderline torture that Ciel was undergoing by the crowd seemed so familiar that it actually frightened the butler. Ciel saw flashes: the sound of money exchanging hands before he was dragged from a cramped and dirty cage, the feel of a rocky floor cutting into his already bruised skin as he was unceremoniously pulled into the center of a circle of rowdy men and women, the sensation of having his legs being forcefully spread, and the smell of an unknown man's rancid breath as he cackled before he pushed inside of his-
"AAAAAAHHHH, OH MY GOSH!" an overly-excited (and highly dramatic) voice suddenly exclaimed, tearing the crowd's attention from Ciel and Ciel from his headache-inducing thoughts. The butler slowly uncurled from his position and shakily stood up; his eyes widened at what he saw.
The mistletoe that Lizzy had hung up earlier (which Ciel had forgotten to take down) currently had two people under it: Grell and Sebastian. An excited squeal sounded from the other side of the ballroom; Ciel immediately recognized Lizzy's squeal. His eyebrow twitched at the sound.
This must have been her plan from the beginning… No wonder she was so resolute about having that thing up there…
Ciel wasn't sure why he was feeling slightly uneasy at the sight of his master and the death god under the mistletoe together. It wasn't as if Sebastian was actually going to kiss Grell; the demon hated the other supernatural being with all of his heart! The other onlookers started to whisper, talking about the pair under the mistletoe. Ciel bit his lip and looked intensely at the demon and the death god. He didn't understand why he was holding his breath, why his heart was beating so fast, why…
… Sebastian was kissing Grell.
Several gasps were heard throughout the ballroom, one of them being Ciel's. The child butler felt everything around him come to a stop. All sound, all movement, everything else was blocked out. All he could see was his demon master kissing the flamboyant death god. Ciel didn't understand what was going on.
Why is Sebastian kissing Grell? Why isn't he trying to get out from under the mistletoe? Why… does he look so happy?
Ciel felt his heart stop as he watched Sebastian wrap his arms around Grell's waist and pull the death god closer to him. He felt his breath catch when he saw Sebastian tilt his head just a little to deepen the kiss even more. He felt his eyes start to sting when a hint of a smile could be seen on Sebastian's lips. He felt his eyes water when he locked eyes with the red-haired death god, who had a triumphant look in his bright green eyes. A few cat-calls could be heard, but most of the guests were watching with shock in their eyes. Some of the more traditional nobles showed disgust and contempt.
Ciel just couldn't believe it. He felt himself take a step backwards… he felt himself turn around… he felt himself run away without a backward glance, his heart pounding and his eyes stinging with tears that would never fall.
Lizzy, who had been completely focused on her uncle and future uncle-in-law with stars in her eyes, gasped with surprise when she felt someone bump into her shoulder. She looked to reprimand the rude guest, but her sparkling eyes widened in surprise and confusion when she saw Ciel covered in bits of food; his hair was dripping with lemonade and other liquids, but his physical appearance isn't what made Lizzy so confused.
The normally stoic boy, who never really showed much emotion, had tears in his eyes.
The noble girl opened her mouth to say something, but Ciel just turned away from her and melted into the crowd.
"Ciel!" she called out, attempting to follow him into the crowd, but she couldn't catch even a glimpse of the child butler. She felt worried, not knowing what could've caused the boy to cry. She suspected it had something to do with his current appearance, but deep down inside, a little voice was telling her it had to do with what was currently happening under the mistletoe. She ignored the voice, finding it ludicrous that a romantic moment between two people who were going to get married would upset the help.
Ciel is a butler through and through. He is happy as long as Sebastian is happy! That's how servants are supposed to be… so it must be something else that upset him so. Maybe I can cheer him up!
While Lizzy was internally fighting with her inner voice, Ciel had managed to get out of the dancing hall. He passed some stragglers who were wandering the halls, but he only gave a slight bow to acknowledge them before continuing on his way. The boy knew he needed to calm himself down. He was being ridiculous and childish getting upset over something that normally occurred between engaged couples.
What's wrong with me? I know that Grell is Sebastian's fiancée. But… I thought that it was merely a business arrangement. Sebastian even said himself that he didn't care for the death god. He constantly told me that there wasn't even a hint of romantic feeling toward the other immortal. And yet… he was smiling when he was kissing Grell. He looked so happy; he never looks like that when he kisses me.
Ciel felt a painful tug on his heart at that final thought. Was that why he was so upset? Because he was hurt that Sebastian never had a smile on his face while they were kissing? Ciel swallowed unsteadily and shook his head.
Impossible! What an asinine reason to be upset! I don't care what Sebastian is doing while he's kissing me. Gosh, I sound like a scorned woman or something! Truly pathetic… I should return to the party like a good butler and do my duties.
But Ciel found that he was progressively getting farther and farther away from the dance hall. Eventually, the sounds of the party faded away, and Ciel found the tension in his body slowly being released. He wandered aimlessly around his master's expansive manor, not allowing for himself to think about anything in particular. He kept telling himself that he was heading back to the party, but he never turned around.
Eventually, his aimless wanderings brought him to his master's bedroom. Ciel scowled when he realized where he was.
Of all places, why did I have to walk here?
The blue-eyed boy glanced at the door to his master's room and felt a sudden longing to go in the room. He shook his head and started to berate himself for such foolish thoughts.
Why would I want to go in that pedophile's room? It's pathetic… ridiculous… stupid!
But even as he told himself how crazy the idea of being in his master's bedroom was, he found himself putting his hand on the doorknob and unlocking the door with the master key. The child butler hesitantly stepped into the unlit room and immediately felt calm and safe. Even though scandalous and sometimes painful things occurred in this room, Ciel couldn't deny that he felt the most at home here. Gently, he closed the door behind him and slid the master key back into his pocket. Ciel looked around the undecorated room and felt a small smile tug at his lips. He stepped farther into the room; his eyes widened when he saw that his feet were leading him to the demon's bed. He swallowed unsteadily, a slight blush forming on his cheeks, but continued to walk toward the large bed.
When he reached it, he lifted a hand and gently ran a gloved hand across the silken sheets. His eyes lidded as he walked around the entire bed. When he reached the pillow where his master would normally flop down after one of their passionate trysts, he felt his heart jump with excitement. Ciel's mind screamed at him to leave the room before he did something foolish, but a flash of his master and his fiancée kissing each other caused him to clutch the feather pillow tightly in his hand.
He stood in that exact position for what felt like hours, but was realistically only a few minutes. He sighed and flopped down onto the bed, face-first. Not even knowing what he was doing anymore, he nuzzled into the pillow and inhaled deeply. His eyes widened when he was immersed in his master's unique scent. Almost instantaneously, he felt his body react to it. His cheeks flushed a bright pink as he felt his heart start to beat faster. The tears that had developed in his eyes dissipated in a matter of seconds. His death grip on the pillow slowly eased until his hand was merely resting on top of the cool material. Ciel lazily ran his hand back and forth on the pillow, eyes heavy with exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he knew that if he was caught sleeping on his master's pillow, the demon would certainly not hold back.
Ciel shivered with… trepidation? Delight? Fear? He wasn't even sure anymore. The boy closed his eyes for a moment and imagined what would happen if his master were to catch him. No doubt the older male would tease him for a few minutes, purposely asking things that would make the younger male blush and mentally stutter. Ciel felt his cheeks become warmer as he imagined his master's mocking but smooth and sensual tone.
Ciel imagined that the demon would suddenly stop his teasing, and his wine-red eyes would darken with lust as he realized that Ciel was lying on his bed. Ciel could practically hear his master's smooth footsteps as his imagination took a turn into "interesting" territory. Ciel imagined that he would back away and start mentally yelling at the older male to go away. He would say that he wasn't in the mood, but Sebastian wouldn't heed his words. The demon would move so fast that Ciel would feel his mind reel as he was pinned to the bed. In both his fantasy and real life, Ciel's breath caught and his body stiffened. Ciel swallowed and tried to stop his fantasy before it became more vivid… more sensual, but his mind was on a roll now.
Ciel bit his bottom lip as he imagined his master pressing his crotch against his backside as the demon pressed against Ciel to whisper in his ear. The boy felt his lips tremble as he swore he could feel his master's lips on the shell of his ear, his master's hot breath as he whispered scandalous things in his red-tipped ears. Ciel heard loud breathing, and his eyes snapped open as he looked frantically around the room. It took him a moment to realize that the person who was breathing loudly was himself.
The child butler blushed in embarrassment, even though no one was in the room with him. But… if Sebastian was here right now…
Ciel's mouth opened in a silent moan as he felt himself fall back into his fantasy again, this time lying on his back on the bed. The boy imagined that now that he was on his back, his master would waste no time to ravish him so that it would be easier for him to get what he wanted. Ciel felt his body arch and squirm a little as he fantasized about his master's lips, his master's touch, running over his clothed body. He could practically feel those sinful lips biting and sucking on him; in real life, Ciel's gloved hands were slowly running down his body, rubbing against his neck, tracing his lips, and even tugging at his clothed nipples. His breathing was increasing in volume, on the point of becoming panting, but Ciel found that he was too far gone in his fantasy to care anymore about his volume.
Oh, what's wrong with me? This is such shameful behavior! Why am I imagining such things? I have to stop!
But Ciel couldn't stop. It had been so long since he had had sex, and his body was craving it with a passion. Desire coursed through his veins, want drowned all rational thought, and need caused him to start unbuttoning his suit coat. Slowly, the expensive material slipped off the bed as its owner immersed himself in his fantasy to block out any thoughts of Sebastian and Grell kissing each other.
Now, his demon master would start whispering things in his ear, trailing kisses down his jaw line to get the boy even more in the mood. Ciel's cheeks flushed even more as he felt the cool air hit his erect nipples. The child continued to unbutton his clothes, his clothed hands like separate entities, greedily sliding underneath the dress shirt to touch his burning skin. Ciel's mouth opened in a silent cry as he tweaked one of his nipples, his legs unconsciously spreading on the bed. In his fantasy, Sebastian would position himself between his now spread legs, chuckling about how Ciel was so greedy and naughty. Ciel imagined himself mentally yelling at the demon to shut up and get on with it. Sebastian would chuckle, only it would be deeper and huskier with lust before he would say, "Yes, at ahuvati…"
Ciel was now panting like he was an animal in heat, his body becoming hotter the longer his fantasy continued. The heat and blood were either rushing to his cheeks, causing them to take on a dark red color, or to the aching area between his legs. Ciel gasped loudly when one of his roaming hands brushed over his clothed erection. In his fantasy, that would be Sebastian's hand. Upon seeing Ciel's delightful reaction, the demon would start to slowly grind down onto Ciel. In the real world, Ciel was slowly grinding into his own hand. The friction felt so good, and the blue-eyed boy found himself getting even more excited at the thought in the back of his head that he was playing with himself on his master's bed.
"How naughty, how sinful," Sebastian would whisper in his ear as he would unzip the young teen's pants. Ciel's breath hitched in anticipation as his hands slowly slid the pants down his legs. He let them pool at his ankles since he didn't feel like taking off his shoes. He imagined his master's eyes would start to glow with demonic lust as he eyed the bulge in Ciel's underwear. Ciel felt himself playing with the hem of his underwear, a playful smirk forming on his lips as a rare bold streak ran through him. He imagined his master's eyes would widen with surprise at Ciel's teasing before a smirk, not a smile, would spread on his face. Slowly, his demon master would lean down and kiss him, still smirking.
Ciel's eyes snapped open with a gasp as he was ripped out of his fantasy. He lay motionlessly on the bed, eyes looking up at the ceiling. They weren't focused on the ceiling though… they were focused on the memory of his master and Grell… kissing and smiling. The most Ciel had ever received was a smirk whenever they kissed.
A smirk… not a smile.
Even in his fantasy, Ciel couldn't imagine his master kissing him with a smile on his face. It seemed awkward and out of place. That realization caused a scorching pain to tear at his heart, causing him to grip at his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the obvious truth behind his pain.
No… It's not true. It's not! I don't care… I don't care, damn it! He means nothing to me! He's just my captor… my master! That's all… That's all! There's nothing else… there's nothing more! NOTHING! HE FEELS NOTHING FOR ME!
Another sharp pain tore at his heart, and Ciel gasped in pain as his emotions were released from the cage he had locked them in after he had found out his master was engaged. They swirled and tore his body apart; Ciel didn't know what to focus on: the burning rage, the dark despair, the overbearing pain, or the infinite sadness. It was too much all at once. Ciel felt like he was falling apart, like he was losing his mind. He needed something to hold onto, something to tell his inner demons that he was wrong. That everything was not how it seemed, that things were different…
That Sebastian cared.
Ciel put his gloved hands over his face as he tried to calm himself down. He blinked when he felt something oddly-shaped on his thumb. Ciel's eyes widened as he tore off his glove and locked eyes with the beautiful ring the demon had given him on his birthday. Ciel felt his throat tighten at the memory that was associated with the gift. Here was his proof; right here, resting on his right thumb. The young butler almost forgot he was even wearing the precious item. He had quickly become accustomed to the weight on his finger. But now that he was looking at it, he felt a calm wash over him. The tension from his raging emotions slowly melted away, and his tumultuous thoughts hushed and went back to the recesses of his mind.
As long as I have this ring, I do not care what happens between my master and Grell. A kiss… can't compare to this ring… to this precious gift…
His lips curled into a soft smile as he started redressing himself. The boy didn't focus on the fact that his thoughts and feelings were conflicting with one another. He wanted to stay at peace with himself for just a little longer. He felt much better; better than he would have if he had actually gone all the way and masturbated on his master's bed. Ciel flushed at the thought.
Honestly, what is wrong with me today? I swear, there must be something in the lemonade…
In a matter of minutes, Ciel was fully dressed and the ideal image of a butler. Now that he was emotionally stable again, the young teen was ready to return to the party. The only thing that was slightly out of place was his mismatched hands; on one hand, he had a snow-white glove on. On the other, there was no glove, just bare skin and a shining blue ring.
If that death god wishes to play with fire, he's going to get ice instead…
Ciel moved off of his master's bed and straightened out the area until it looked like no one had touched it. The butler sighed before he made himself look polite. It certainly wouldn't do if he walked back to the party with a frown on his face. Ciel stared at himself in the mirror for a moment before he sighed again. There were still bits of food stuck in his hair and on his uniform. He was sure that there were stains from people's drinks on his suit, but there was nothing Ciel could do about that at the present moment. The boy set down to picking out the bits of wiener and the crumbs from the pastries as well as other food bits. A disgusted look formed on the child's face at just how much food had gotten into his hair.
I will definitely take a bath once this party is over… Ugh, disgusting…
Once the servant was completely satisfied with his appearance, he gave one last look at the ring. Heart jumping a little as he remembered how his master had looked at him when he had given him the gift, Ciel gently kissed the blue stone. When Ciel realized what he was doing, his cheeks flared bright red, and he quickly ceased kissing the object. The child butler cleared his throat and hastily exited the bedroom, feeling embarrassed for his previous and current actions. Ciel turned around and locked the door, cheeks still slightly flushed from embarrassment.
"Ciel? What were you doing in Uncle Sebastian's room?" Lizzy asked with innocent curiosity. The poor boy nearly had a heart attack from the young girl's voice. He had not expected for the noble to actually follow him when he had bumped into her during his hasty exit. Trying not to show his shame or surprise, Ciel turned with a stoic facial expression to face the blonde. He tried to look nonchalant as he made a sweeping motion with his hands to mime that he had been cleaning. Lizzy blinked for a moment.
"Cleaning? But Ciel… weren't you crying? Why would you leave a party to clean?" the girl pressed, looking honestly worried for her friend.
Ciel inwardly sighed. Of course Lizzy would learn to be more insightful when I don't want to be questioned.
As Ciel tried to think of a plausible excuse for his teary eyes, the blonde girl's eyes traveled to Ciel's ungloved hand. Her eyes widened when she saw the beautiful ring on the blue-eyed boy's thumb. She suddenly grabbed his hand, causing Ciel's thoughts to come to a stop.
"Ciel… Where on Earth did you get such a ring? It's so… not cute," she said as her nose wrinkled with slight distaste. The ring looked far too old to be considered fashionable anymore, and even though the blue stone was pretty, the ornate band made the overall accessory look gaudy. Ciel looked shocked for a moment, his face paling a little. Lizzy noticed this and started to feel slightly suspicious.
Why does he look so shocked? If it's his ring, then wouldn't he have said something already? I always claim things that are mine… but what if this isn't his? What if it belongs to someone else…?
While the wheels in Lizzy's head started turning towards more suspicious reasons, Ciel was trying to think of a way to answer Lizzy's question without making the girl suspicious of the intentions behind the gift.
I can't just say, 'Oh, this? It was a birthday gift given by my master for my birthday before we decided to make love to each other. That's all.' Yeah, that would not go over so well. Let's see… I can't say that I bought it. There's no way with such a cheap-ass for a master that I would have enough to afford a ring like this. I need to think of an answer fast though, before Lizzy suspects-
"Ciel," the girl's normally high-pitched and sweet voice was now a tad lower and slightly threatening, "Did you steal this ring from my Uncle Sebastian?"
Shit.
The butler looked dumbfounded at Lizzy's accusation before he coolly glared at the slightly taller girl. He attempted to yank his hand out of the girl's grip, but Lizzy wasn't letting up. Ciel's glare became colder. "Why would you think such a thing?" he mouthed, clearly angered by the noble girl's accusation. Lizzy didn't say anything; she just continued to stare down the servant. Just as Ciel was about to respond to Lizzy's assumption, the noble girl did something horrible.
She snatched the ring right off of Ciel's finger.
Ciel's eyes widened in horror and shock as the blonde girl danced away from the dark-haired boy with his precious gift in her gloved hands. His thumb felt much too light without the ring on it. It felt like a piece of himself, a piece of his past, had just been stolen from him, and the feeling scared him immensely. Ever since he had received the ring from Sebastian, he had felt a little more complete. He had felt like he had been one step closer to learning about who he was before he showed up on the Michaelis doorstep. And now, Lizzy was taking it all away from him.
Lizzy looked pleased with herself; she felt that she had stopped the boy she cared for from getting in trouble with his master for stealing. She held the ring between her thumb and index finger as she started talking excitedly.
"You'll thank me for this later, Ciel! It's not like this ring suited you anyway… If you want a cuter ring, I can always buy you one! It would be much smaller and actually fit securely on your f-"
BAM!
Lizzy gasped with shock and slight fear when Ciel slammed his fist into the wall. The amount of anger he felt towards the noble girl standing in front of him was indescribable. She didn't understand just how important that ring was to him. He needed that ring to quell the doubts he had in his heart and mind, to keep him from losing his sanity from the lack of information about his past self. Ciel looked up at her with piercing eyes, his brow furrowed and his mouth set in a thin line. He wordlessly held out his hand, signaling for Lizzy to return the ring to him. The blond girl looked confused and slightly afraid as she stared at the angered servant.
"Wh-What's wrong? I don't understand… Why are you getting so mad? It's just an ugly ring!" she exclaimed. Ciel's response was to narrow his eyes; his hand remained outstretched. The green-eyed girl looked hurt. Ciel had never been angry at her before; he was always polite and treated her like a friend. To see him glaring at her with a hint of hatred in his eyes broke the young girl's heart. They were friends; they cared for each other. The girl looked at the ring in her hand. Her eyes welled with tears as she continued to stare at the ring. This accessory… this ugly piece of jewelry… it was tearing her and Ciel's friendship apart. For the first time in her young life, she felt hatred towards something. The longer the ring continued to shine in the palm of her hand, the more her hatred grew for it. She began to shake as tears streamed down her face. When she saw that Ciel had no sympathetic reaction to her obvious distress, it was the final straw.
Raising the ring high above her head, she screamed, "I HATE THIS RING!" before she threw the delicate item to the ground.
CRACK!
As soon as the ring hit the floor, the blue stone in the center shattered and the ornate band cracked into several pieces. Lizzy continued to glare at the now-broken ring with contempt, not even bothering to look at how Ciel was reacting.
Ciel's eyes widened as he felt his entire body and consciousness go numb. The ring… the one thing that proved that maybe Sebastian actually cared about him… the one thing linked to his mysterious past… the one thing that he could proudly claim as his own in the world… lay broken at his feet. To say that Ciel was devastated would be a disgrace to how the young Phantomhive was feeling. He felt like he couldn't breathe, he felt like his entire world had shattered along with the blue stone. His wide cerulean eyes roamed over the sparkling bits of blue stone that were spread out on the carpet. They looked like and represented beautiful teardrops that would never fall from Ciel's eyes. His heart lurched when he saw the once carefully designed and curved silver band bent and broken. That ring… it had been so important. He had promised to take care of it… he had swore to Sebastian. One of the two things that was precious to Sebastian in the whole world… was now gone.
And it was all Lizzy's fault.
The rage took Ciel completely by surprise. All rational thought disappeared in an instant, replaced with a vengeful fire that could only be quenched with revenge. He felt himself dashing towards the now-fearful Lizzy, who saw nothing but anger in Ciel's visible cerulean eye. When he was a few feet away from her, he raised his hand, ready to strike her with all the strength in his body. He wished to break the blonde girl in front of him, to shatter her into a million unrecognizable pieces like she did to his ring. Lizzy cried out and cowered in fear, waiting for Ciel's hand to smack her across her tear-stained face.
SMACK!
Ciel gasped as he was abruptly jerked out of his rage-induced trance. He could hear Lizzy crying and sniffing delicately, trying her best to at least cry like a respectable lady. The child butler looked up and saw blood-red eyes staring coldly down at him. And then, he felt the pain. Ciel brought a shaking hand up to his quickly bruising cheek and gently touched the area where Sebastian had slapped him. Shock and pain, both physical and emotional, coursed through Ciel's small body, causing him to tremble as he locked eyes with the emotionless ones of his demon master. Sebastian continued to silently stare down at his shocked butler, still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. He had been walking down the hallway to take a quick break from the hustle and bustle of the party when he had seen his butler about to hit Lady Elizabeth. He had quickly stepped in between the two children, and without thinking, had slapped Ciel hard enough to snap him back to his senses.
"Ciel. A servant…"
SMACK!
Lizzy covered her mouth in shock when she saw her future uncle-in-law backhand Ciel's other cheek. Twin bruises were blossoming on the boy's once-unblemished face.
"…never hits a noble. Don't you ever forget your place. You are just a servant and nothing more," Sebastian finished in an authoritative tone. As the demon adjusted his immaculate gloves, Ciel was still trying to recover from his shock. The words and tone Sebastian had just spoken in were hurting his heart more than the slaps were hurting his face. He couldn't even look at his demon master; he was too afraid of what he would see in those ruby eyes. His trembles increased as his emotions started to get the better of him. The knowledge that the ring wouldn't be able to help him regain control caused his heart to sink.
Sebastian's cruelly-spoken words continued to repeat and tease his heart and mind. The boy felt like his very soul was being torn apart as the demon's words relentlessly repeated themselves like a self-destructive mantra.
"You are just a servant and nothing more… just a servant… nothing more… servant… nothing… nothing… nothing more…"
Ciel's throat tightened so much that he feared he would choke himself to death. He didn't even bother to try and explain the reason behind his action. It was quite clear that Sebastian would side with society. It became painfully clear that there was a bold line between himself and his demon master. Ciel would never be considered an equal… in the eyes of society or in the eyes of his master. He would never be able to do everything that he wanted. He would always be held back, he would always be turned down, he would always be denied…
He would always be a servant.
[No. Never… I refuse to submit myself to this life. A life where I have no free will. A life where my master can abuse and use me whenever he pleases. No. This is not the life for me, for Ciel Phantomhive. I will not allow this to be my fate. I have become too comfortable here; I have shut out the truth with false pretenses and fake evidence to support the contrary. No more. Right now… this moment… has made everything clear. It is time to stop living in a fantasy world. It is time to live in reality. It is time for me to go.]
Ciel's trembles slowly ceased as the boy regained control of himself. Now that he knew what he was going to do, his emotional turmoil no longer had a reason to exist. What would be the point of getting upset over a situation that would not affect him in the future? The young butler slowly raised his head until he was looking defiantly into his master's eyes. The demon continued to stare down at his human pet, confused by the sudden attitude change.
Ciel Phantomhive, with his head raised high, started to walk.
He walked away from his demon master and his former acquaintance. He walked past the suits of armor, the paintings on the walls, the countless rooms. He walked through the happy-go-lucky partygoers as he made his way to the front door.
Emotionlessly… Unthinkingly, he continued to walk.
He opened the front door and stared blankly at the dark world that lay beyond the safety of the Michaelis manor. He didn't even feel the biting cold of the winter air as he stepped outside. He closed the door behind him and continued to walk down the icy pathway. He just kept walking forward. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't care to be honest. He just kept walking. Even when snowflakes began to gently fall and a sharp arctic wind started to claw at his underdressed body, the boy continued to walk. The snow started to build up even more, making a light "crunching" sound under his feet as he walked like he was in a trance. Ciel barely paid attention to the quickly changing landscape. Anything that was green or had color was being covered in a frozen layer of ice and snow, making the landscape transition to an unending white. The crystal flakes started to fall harder; the little ice crystals clung to Ciel's eyelashes and hair, but the boy wasn't deterred by them. The wind blew harder, making the once calmly falling flakes whip and flutter until they formed a visible wind of white.
And still, the Phantomhive walked.
He walked as the snow came up to his knees. He walked as the wind tore off his suit jacket, leaving him even more exposed to the elements. He walked even as his legs started to become tired from the wind blowing against his tiny frame and the snow slowing his progress. He walked as his surroundings became darker, colder. He walked even though he couldn't see anything around him anymore, the once calm snow now a deadly blizzard. He walked even as his body started to become numb. He walked even though he could no longer feel his fingers, face, or toes. He walked even as his body temperature began to drop to dangerously low temperatures.
He walked… until he fell into a deep hunting pit that had been covered by the quickly falling snow. At the exact moment that Ciel rolled over to attempt to get up and continue walking, a tree branch finally cracked under the weight of the snow and fell onto the boy's unprotected and frozen body.
And Ciel Phantomhive walked no more.
(1): Ah, the mistletoe... Ciel's natural enemy against scandalous activites... xD But lolz, seriously, that was how the tradition of the mistletoe was viewed back in the day. Nowadays, whenever two people are under a mistletoe, they kiss for as long as they want. Back then, there would be berries on the plant; once a berry was picked, that was one kiss. Now, the person could pick all the berries off of the plant, but then no one would get to kiss under the mistletoe. xD As for why people kiss under the mistletoe, I found that it was based off of an old folktalk from the Scandinavian region that had to do with two lovers, but since there were several other stories as well, I guess it depends on what culture one belongs to or whatever people choose to believe.
(2): In Victorian times, they did have basic cleaning items like bleach and laundry detergent. The difference between modern bleach and the bleach of this time period is that it was only available in powder form. It kinda worked like how powder detergent works today; you get it wet and then rub it into the stain and it should come right out! Hooray for Ciel's basic cleaning knowledge! ^0^
(3): Okay, this is where the offensive language begins. During the Victorian Era and the times before it, medical terms such as "mentally challenged" and even "retarded" were non-existent. Those that were "mentally challenged" were categorized as morons, idiots, or imbeciles (moron was the worst, then an imbecile, and then idiots). The names went along with how severe the person's illness was. During this period of time, there was a shift towards being kinder to those who were in asylums, but the change took a lot of time. Many of those with mental illnesses were treated horribly by society, and people with physical disabilities certainly weren't treated any better. In Ciel's case, being a mute was considered a mental illness, and many people believed during that time that those who were mutes were also "idiots" because they didn't have the ability to speak. It's really sad how people with mental illnesses were treated during this time, but isn't it great that this period was when attitudes started to change for the better? Yay nice people who led the revolution to kinder treatment! ^0^
(4): A bethlehemite was an old medical term for someone who was mentally retarded. That seems so complicated to say... I still don't know how to say it properly... xD
J-C: Aren't I just the nicest author EVER? I don't come update for 4+ months, and then when I finally do, I leave you guys with a cliffhanger! Isn't that just so nice of me?
Naruto: NOOOOOO! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO EVIL THINGS TO CIEL?
~Sasuke~ Calm down, dobe... I'm sure J-C won't let anything bad happen to Ciel... she doesn't have the guts...
J-C: EXCUSE ME! I'll have you know that just because he's one of the main characters in this story doesn't mean that I can't kill him off!
~Sasuke~ Uhuh...
J-C: Grrrr... You'll see, Sasuke... you'll see. By the way, readers, I was totally being sarcastic when I opened this ending note. I'M SO EVIL! T_T Poor Ciel! I swear, I never give him a break... I'm sure that my editor/Ciel is screaming at me from her house. *smirks evilly* I love annoying her with my evilness towards Ciel... But anyhoo, enough of my secret sadism towards anything that has to do with Ciel, it's that time again! It's time for me to ask for reviews! ^0^ You guys are just SO amazing when it comes to reviewing. I couldn't ask for better readers! ^0^ To show my appreciation, besides responding to everybody for Chapter 21 (I swear, I will! I'm going to actually keep track if I get behind this time!), I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP!
Okay, so one of the reasons why I was having trouble updating with Chapter 21 was because I experienced SEVERE writer's block. Seriously, I couldn't write for a while and it really upset me. But besides my exhaustion, I figured out that it was because I have A LOT OF NEW STORY IDEAS! I'm not kidding... I have so many ideas that it was hindering my writing, and I've decided to do the impossible. I'm going to write another story at the same time as I write "One Hell of a Master". I know... you guys are probably screaming at your computers, thinking I'm crazy. But I figured out that this story is going to take a LONG time to finish... seriously, it will be a while before I mark it as "complete". And since I'm such a bad updater, I figured that if there were a couple of stories that you guys could read while you wait, I think it would make you guys happy. So, this is what I'm doing: I'm setting up a poll. I'm going to put my plot ideas down (like, only a line so that you guys get the basic idea), and you guys can vote for which one you want to see me write first! If you like them all, well, you're really kind and you have nothing to worry about because I'm going to write them all someday, but I just want to write what you guys are the most interested in first! ^-^ So yeah, I'm going to post a poll on my profile, and you guys can vote there OR you can tell me which one you want to see me write first in the review I hope you leave for me! Thank you for reading this ridiculously long note (and the super long chapter before it xD). I appreciate every single review, every single fav, and every single story alert for this story! ^-^ I love you all, and I can't wait to get to know everybody better via Twitter and Facebook! ^0^ Welp, I'm fungry now, so I'm going to FINALLY go eat! FOOD! ^0^
Ja ne for now! ^0^