So I was just reading over my comments on Ao3 because they fill me with joy and I was looking for prompts I felt like writing and I saw a little comment convo I had with one of my favorite commenters there, Lainie (mislainieous)... I saw something about hoarding and pyro not mixing (Hey, I'm Draco... it comes with the territory) So I decided to write something stupid about it. Was going to write something about Bard, but I felt like a pyrokinetic Ciel would be fun... and it is far too easy to imagine Mod!Sebastian as a hoarder...
The door flew open, shooting off its hinges to dive down the hall. The singed front told the man in the kitchen exactly who had sent it flying. The following screech also helped.
"SEBASTIAN MICHAELIS!" The burning eyes of the angry voice's owner were visible even from the kitchen. Despite it being fairly late in the evening, Sebastian was not surprised that he had company. The brat usually showed up late. He supposed his love for flashy entrances had rubbed off on the kid.
"I'm in the kitchen, Ciel!"
"I DON'T CARE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" the boy shouted. Sebastian was lucky he'd decided to move out to the countryside. Had his dear friend pulled this stunt at his apartment he'd have been immediately evicted.
Sighing, the ravenette set his coffee mug on the counter and carefully maneuvered around the stacks of magazines that were scattered around his kitchen. Then he cautiously stepped over the books and bins in his hall, before finally making it to the front door, or rather front arch now. He could have gone over the counter and walked through the living room, but that was uncivilized, plus he didn't want to wake the cats.
"What do you need, of powerful Phantomhive?" Sebastian greeted the floating teen with an exaggerated bow.
"Don't get snarky with me! Look at this place! How can you live like this!" Tongues of fire appeared briefly in his messy blue hair. They seemed to flare up when his anger got out of hand.
"Live like what?!"
"Like a slob!"
Sebastian looked genuinely hurt, "I keep everything as tidy as possible."
"Don't lie to me, you rat! Do you not pay attention to how carefully you have to move so you don't knock something over?"
"I just don't have enough storage space. Once I get the shed re-built-"
"NO!" The teens hair was engulfed in flames, "You have too much stuff! That's the problem! I'm not letting you live like this anymore!"
"What?"
"It's taken a toll on your health! And fourteen cats don't help!"
"What are you talking about?" Sebastian's breathing began to pick up. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. The boy had been pressuring him to go through and clean out all of his belongings ever since he met him. Despite the furious fiery god like appearance he wore now, Ciel had always been very gentle about it. He'd understood that Sebastian cherished everything he owned. It was only in the last month, when Sebastian had lost his job and in response became reclusive, that the boy had stopped by every evening to pressure him about it.
"I'm not going to let you do this to yourself. I'm not going to let you live life as a hoarder!" The flames had taken over the blue in the boy's eyes as well. He was beginning to actually look frightening...
Sebastian struggled to remain calm, "Ciel, we've talked about this. It will be fine once I-"
Ciel moved forward and grabbed onto his friend's shoulders, "No it won't! Sebastian, I can't let you... If I just leave you as you are..." The flames began to slowly die down, "I never pressed it because I thought you... you had enough sense... you were able to do it. You could fight it. But I've been an enabler, and I'm not going to leave you alone any more. I'm going to make you better. Even if you won't let me."
"Ciel..."
"So I don't care what you say... we're getting rid off all this junk!" The fire flared again, and Sebastian suddenly found himself in the large tree in his front yard. His arms were pressed to his sides by a ring of flames. He barely managed to catch a glimpse of Ciel running into the house.
"Ciel! Ciel! What are you doing! Let me down from here!"
A faint, "Nope!" was his response. Then, for a while, all he heard was silence. It was broken by the screeching of his cats, as the burst out of the front door. Ciel walked out holding the recent litter of kittens. He placed them in the grass in the front yard, and all the cats gathered there.
"Ciel! Stop! Don't do this!"
The boy looked up at him, "I'm sorry, Sebastian. But I can't let you go on like this." And with that, the boy disappeared into the house.
Sebastian stared anxiously at the front door. He couldn't see too far into the hallway. He caught glimpses of Ciel walking between rooms, often looking as if he was carrying something, but it didn't take long for him to stop appearing. And when that happened, he didn't see him for hours. He could hear him occasionally. The sound of things falling to the floor or the boy's cursing as he tripped and stumbled around the house. But he didn't come out. Sebastian eventually fell asleep.
He jerked awake. He'd dreamed about falling and had awoken just in time to watch the ground zip towards him. He angled himself into a roll and immediately ran into the house. He was unhappily not surprised to find the kitchen, hall, and living room empty. He dashed into the back to check the sewing room. As he ran he caught a glimpse of the analog clock on the wall in the hallway. It was almost two in the morning. The boy had been at it for almost seven hours. The sewing room was cleaned out as well. He shot up the stairs. The bedrooms were empty as well. Of course, the beds, the dressers, the furniture was still there. But everything else was gone. He had one last place to check. He ran down the hall to the last door. He sprinted up the stairs. But no the attic was empty as well. Sebastian dropped onto the stairs. Everything was gone. But where was Ciel? The boy couldn't have left... He had to be around somewhere.
Sebastian slowly began to stumble down the stairs. It was all gone. The magazines. The books. The photographs. The projects. Half-written manuscripts, broken printers, shattered pottery. Worthless wooden decorations. The Christmas tree. Everything has gone. The ravenette slowly walked to the back of the house. He might as well check the back stairs.
But as the hoarder stumbled out of the back door, the pyro had just finished the last of his work. He'd gone through every box. Anything of value he returned to the box. But everything else he'd tossed into a massive pile in the middle of the backyard. He started when he heard the back door open, but grinned when he saw Sebastian stumbling out.
"You're awake, I see."
Sebastian froze upon seeing the massive junk pile in the middle of his yard, "What... what have you done?"
"I've cleared out all of the junk. Don't worry. I wouldn't throw out your photos and such. Just all the trashy knick-knacks and baubles. Plus all the broken stuff."
"What is this?"
"It's the junk pile. I'm gonna burn it."
Sebastian couldn't really comprehend what was happening, "Years... years worth of-"
"Junk. Old magazines and newspapers. Broken Easter baskets. Junk. And we're going to burn it."
"Burn... what? We?" Sebastian blinked. This was unbelievable.
"Yes, we. Fire is the end of things and the birth of things. We're going to end this part of your life with fire, and start the new chapter with it."
Sebastian slowly walked forward to stand beside Ciel. The boy held out a match. Sebastian took it cautiously.
"Are you ready?"
"I don't... I can't do this..."
Ciel stepped closer and gently placed his hand on the ravenette's arm, "Yes. You can."
Sebastian stared at the match in his hand, and a sense of grim determination washed over him. He nodded, and Ciel lit the match. A ball of flame appeared in the boy's hand.
"Here we go..."
Sebastian readied himself. He was going to burn all of this stuff. Years of collecting it and it was all going to be gone...
"3..."
But he could do it. Ciel was right. He needed to let go of this... junk. Not only the junk, but the reasons he held on..."
"2..."
Because holding on was no longer an option. If he didn't let go, he would never be able to live...
"1..."
It was time to burn that bridge.
"Go!"
Sebastian tossed the match, and Ciel tossed his fireball. The match somehow exploded into flame, its fire growing larger than the fireball. It wasn't long before the pile was shrouded in flames.
The ravenette dropped onto the ground. It was over... All of that junk was gone. He knew of course that his own problems were not so easily solved. But...
Ciel sat down next to him and pulled out a bag of marshmallows and two metal skewers, "Want one?"
The man chuckled, "Why not?"
But, he wasn't alone like before. He had Ciel. And he was sure the pyro would be there for him, and be there to kick him in gear if he fell back into his old ways.
The boy leaned on his shoulder as they toasted marshmallows. The flames in his hair held a much more soothing warmth than the roaring flames before him.
Yes, he could live like this... This was a bridge he doubted he could ever burn. It seemed to like fire...
This was a mass of stupid silliness because I was bored and I read that comment... But it was fun to write. I'm back, my darlings...
I'm back.
