Sebastian wakes up the morning after the battle, his head is still hurting however he is able to function on a limited compactly. He wanders into the dinning room to find a Claude sitting at the table with Steve and Alex. However Claude is a little more passionate than usual.

Alex goes with Steve who is taken by Thompson and Timber, leaving the pair alone for a moment. Later they are joined by Grell, the Undertaker, William and Ronald.

Why are they all gather that morning?

What did Claude do to give Steve a nose bleed?

Where is Hannah and who is with her?

What on earth did Claude tell William?

I hope you enjoy,

~Kuro

P.s. I do not own Kuroshitsuji, all the characters excluding Steve, Alex and Damian, belong to the manga. Please check out Kuro the Dark Ringmaster's Facebook page for extras. I will be updating the YouTube list! As well as the timeline, so be on the look out!


Chapter 50: A "Quiet" Morning

Sebastian slowly walked out of the room, the sun was high in the sky and he stretched, his head was still throbbing. "Damn I didn't even drink and I feel like I have a hang over," he whined. The house was oddly filled with movement and the night before slowly rushed into his mind. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I really whish I understood what was going on here," he muttered softly. He continued down the stairs to see Claude sitting at the table, Alex was sitting beside him and Steve was to her right. There was an empty chair beside Claude and he stared at the triplets who were working. "Good morning," he said in confusion. Claude looked up and smiled, he had been reading his tablet. "Good morning," he said brightly as he set it off to the side and wrapped his fingers around his coffee mug. He lifted it to his lips which had a smirk spread across them. "You look happy," said Sebastian as he rubbed his head, he walked behind Claude and took a seat next to him. "What are they doing here?" asked Sebastian as Thompson placed a cup of coffee before him and a few eggs. Claude looked at Canterbury who nodded and then to Timber who poured Alex another cup of coffee. "Hannah had abandoned them and they came here, in search of employment," he responded. Sebastian looked up at the three cautiously and noticed they had cracked out their old uniforms of the Trancy estate.

"Have we given updating the uniforms much thought?" he asked softly and Claude smirked. He had a feeling Sebastian wouldn't turn them away, after all he had been a servant to Sebastian once. Timber, Canterbury and Thompson looked at one another; they were slightly confused and noticed how Sebastian was sitting. His eyes were still glazed over and he seemed unresponsive. Claude brushed the back of his hand against Sebastian's face, sweeping one of his silky black bangs behind his ear in the process. His golden eyes were burning with affection for the smaller demon and he smiled. "We can do anything you like to the uniforms, in fact, they don't even have to wear them except for formal events if you like," said Claude softly. Timber nearly dropped the teapot which Canterbury caught and Thompson's jaw dropped. Not only was Claude being affectionate but he was willing for them to wear casual clothing. Sebastian hummed and closed his eyes, Claude leaned in closer and pressed his lips against Sebastian's, they were soft and bitter like the coffee he had just drank. Sebastian's eyes widened as he felt Claude lick his lower lip, begging for entrance. Sebastian slowly parted his lips and allowed Claude to slip his tongue into his hot cavern.

Alex looked up at the pair and leaned on her hand, she always thought they were hot standing together however seeing them kiss was even more intoxicating. Claude was quick to un-stopper the vile Ash had given him and slowly pulled away from Sebastian, who pouted for a moment. "That's not what I wanted," he commented with slight irritation. Claude stroked the side of Sebastian's cheek, "Ash gave me something which will make the pain disappear," said Claude softly. Sebastian stared at him and then to the vile, he recognized the scent off the bad. It was a type of wisteria which his father cultivated. "Wisteria?" he asked in confusion. Claude nodded and said, "There are two options, the first you drink it out of the vile and the second I feed it to you." Sebastian stared at him intently and swallowed hard, "Which do you prefer?" he asked smoothly, his hand remained on Sebastian's face, he could feel the heat of the demon's blush under his fingers. "Feed it to me," he whispered, which caused a smile of happiness to curl Claude's lips. He slowly pulled off his glasses and took a sip of the fluid from the vile, he leaned in slowly to Sebastian, who parted his lips in anticipation. Once again they were locked in a passionate kiss until the sweet liquid left Claude's mouth and entered Sebastian's. Sebastian leaned back and swallowed, his face soured and he stuck out his tongue, "That stuff is just as disgusting as I remember," he commented. Claude chuckled and took the rest of the vial's contents in his mouth. Sebastian was about to fight him, when Claude caught his chin between his fingers and Sebastian gasped. In seconds Claude had managed to lock his lips with the raven once more, only this time the kiss was even deeper. He deposited the sweet liquid into his lover's mouth and slowly pulled away, a string of saliva connected them and he smiled with triumph. "I knew you would try to fly away," he commented, a grin of satisfaction had spread across his face. Sebastian blushed furiously and spat, "Leave it to a spider to make things more complicated." Claude chuckled and took a sip of his coffee to clear the unpleasant sweetness from his mouth. Claude sighed and looked at his lover smugly, "Well it is a spider's job to tangle the one he loves in an elegant web," he said softly.

Alex stared at Claude and noticed how a trail of blood streamed from Steve's nose. "Oh my, Steve, are you alright?" she asked quickly as she pinched a napkin over his nose. Claude and Sebastian looked at Steve and noticed how the napkin became stained with bright red flowers. "You guys are way too passionate in the morning," he commented as he leaned his head back. Alex's eyes widened, "Don't do that you'll make yourself sick," she said sternly. She pinched the napkin around the bridge of his nose and said, "Stay sitting up right, could one of you grab the first aid kit?" Timber nodded and quickly went into the kitchen, in moments he returned with the silver box. Alex opened it and she stared as Canterbury poured hot water into a bowl and placed it before her. "Thanks," she said with a smile as she slowly tended to Steve's nose bleed. After a moment she had managed to get it to stop. She looked over at Sebastian and snickered, he was scarlet red and Claude was grinning like the cat who ate the canary. "You two really are too much," she said in a teasing tone. Grell slowly opened the door and entered, "Ah Sebas-chan! You're all red! It's a beautiful color, however you it makes you look ill!" he shouted. Sebastian glared at Grell and commented, "Why don't you ask him, he's responsible." Claude shrugged and turned his attention to his coffee. Grell noticed the red which had stained the white napkin, "I think I know what happened. How could you two get hot and heavy in the morning without me?" he whined.

Claude nearly choked on his coffee and his golden eyes shot up to look at the shinigami. Steve looked at Alex curiously and she sighed, "Believe me, it's not worth explaining. Claude, can one of the triplets drive Steve home?" she asked. Claude looked at the three and asked, "Would one of you mind?" The three looked at one another and then pointed to themselves, "Yes one of you, we have business to attend to here," said Claude. Thompson shrugged and responded, "Sure, I can drive him." Claude nodded and pointed to the side board, "The car keys are in that dish, take the Audi," he instructed. Thompson nodded and Steve stood up, "I'm going with him, just to make sure Steve is alright," she said before rising. Claude looked at Timber, who nodded and said, "In that case Timber will accompany you, take the Quatro." Timber and Thompson left quickly as Alex and Steve headed toward the front door. Grell sighed and took a seat in Alex's seat, the door creaked once more revealing the Undertaker, and he was in jeans and a black sweater. "No lab coat?" asked Claude, his eyebrows lifted and the shinigami laughed. "I only wear that in the morgue, there's no need for it anywhere else," he responded. Claude nodded and watched as Canterbury brought in another chair, "We will need three more, Ronald and William will be arriving soon," said Claude. Canterbury looked confused, that only covered two chairs. "The third one is for you, this issue entails you as well," he said softly. Canterbury nodded and was quick to grab the three chairs. The undertaker sat beside Grell, he crossed his legs and sighed, "It's been a while since I've been here, however I don't remember you having servants, and for that matter demons," he responded. Claude looked at the Undertaker and responded, "That will be explained as soon as the two other shinigami arrive."

The door opened and Ronald said angrily, "You're unbelievable!" William looked slightly taken aback and responded, "Me? You were the one cuddling so close to me." Ronald pivoted and shouted, "Yes because it's cold in your apartment and I was still wet!" Sebastian blinked and looked at them; he then looked to Claude who didn't look even slightly phased. "I thought you were being assertive!" he responded, his voice was louder than when he hollered at Grell. Ronald clenched his fingers into fists and responded, "I was freezing, just because I was cold doesn't mean you can make advances on me!" William sighed and rubbed his head, "It looks like someone's getting their hand slapped for enjoying breakfast in bed," chimed Claude. Sebastian glared and Claude, his eyes were filled with the intent to kill if Claude said another word. "This has nothing to do with you! It's not like you're telling him how to screw me!" shouted Ronald, he was fuming. Grell's eyes widened and he looked at Claude, "You're giving lessons? Why didn't you tell me!" he cried. Sebastian did a face palm and held his hand up, "Order in the dining room! Its still morning, can't we shout at one another later?" he asked. Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and continued, "Besides I'm pretty sure I would know if Claude was advising others on how to love their better halves." Claude smiled nervously and William rubbed the back of his neck, "Well," he muttered. Sebastian glared and crossed his arms, "Claude?" he asked. Claude sighed and responded, "It was only a few tips, you know, stuff you share with a fellow seme." Sebastian turned red with anger and leapt out of his seat. Claude held a hand up and looked at William, "Sebastian, it was innocent things, besides don't we have something else to discuss?"

Sebastian was about to storm out when Claude's words of reason caught him. He turned around and sat back down in the chair, "Alright, we have a larger issue to discuss," said Claude after a moment. Ronald and William took seats on opposite sides of the room. "Last night was only one instance of us not knowing what's going on. Obviously this is escalating," said Claude. The Undertaker's hair swayed as he nodded and commented, "Seiki isn't you're normal run of the mill demon either." Claude nodded and the silver haired shinigami continued, "All of those men there were part of a special clientele, in the past we had managed to pass legislation which prevented demons from collecting souls without consuming them. However this was different, they had managed to slip pass and angelic defense which has never been done," said the Undertaker. There was silence in the room, the tension was so high that it was possible to cut it with a knife. William picked up where the undertaker had left off, "I called Ash this morning, apparently they were cloaked using an amulet. Ash is investigating who made them, since it could harm his business as well." William fell silent and looked at Sebastian who was slowly regaining his typical complexion. Ronald looked at the carpet and his eyebrows knit together, he remembered the signature cologne and looked at them, "Did anyone else see Arnold Sterling there?" he asked cautiously. They all froze and looked at him, "I'll take that as a no." Sebastian's blood red eyes narrowed and he asked, "Sterling was there?" Ronald nodded, and adjusted his black glasses, "Yeah he had two pieces of arm candy with him, he was boasting about how much her soul would fetch, it was unnerving," he responded. Ronald wrung his hands together and he stared at them. "What on earth could Sterling, be doing there, he doesn't even go out clubbing?" asked Sebastian. The day Claude had been called into his office raced back into his mind, at that time Sterling had said something unusual as well.

"Is it even remotely possible that he has something to do with this?" asked Grell. The Undertaker looked at Claude and noted his discomfort. Canterbury was silent, yet his eyes were locked on Claude. "It is, however he can't be in this alone, it's far too risky," said Claude slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, he could still remember Sterling's snide comment, "Other wise you'll risk harming your lover's firm," he whispered. Sebastian looked at him curiously and Claude shook his head, "It's nothing," he responded quickly and placed a hand on Sebastian's, his fingers slowly rubbed circles into the back of his hand. It was a soothing action which made the older demon relax a little. "There is also the issue of this," said the Undertaker as he placed the crystal orb on the table. Ronald shivered unconsciously and slowly hugged himself, it was apparent that he still hadn't gotten over the incident involving the spiders. "A trapped soul?" asked Sebastian curiously as he slowly reached out to touch it. His fingers gently brushed the top of the orb and he stared in shock as it changed to a violent red. "What the?" asked Grell in shock as Sebastian flew backward, his back smashed into the wall and he groaned. Claude stared in shock and was quick to assist his lover. "Are you alright?" he asked in a panick. Sebastian slowly got off the floor and closed his eyes, "That wasn't nice, it actually hurt," he commented before taking a seat in the chair once more. There was a large imprint of where Sebastian had hit the wall behind him.

Claude reached out to touch it only for it to turn black and he pulled away, "It's obvious that this doesn't belong to you two," said William tritely. Canterbury rose and looked at the sphere, "Isn't that Hannah's seal?" he asked after a moment. Claude's eyes widened and he looked at the seal which had appeared thanks in part to Sebastian's touch. "Hannah?" asked Ronald in confusion, William looked at him and realized Ronald hadn't been around for the past fiasco and had never met the woman. "Hannah Anafelloz, she used to work for Claude as a secretary and prior to that she worked as a maid at the Trancy Estate," he responded coolly. Claude grit his teeth, it was clear he was irritated, "She doesn't have that kind of power," he responded. Sebastian placed a hand on Claude's shoulder and pointed to the second emblem appearing, "I don't think she did it by herself," he said after a moment. Claude's eyes were locked on the second seal; it looked nothing like anything similar to Hannah's let alone Claude's and Sebastian's. "Whose is that?" asked Canterbury. Claude stared at it in confusion and Sebastian responded, "I have no idea, I've never seen one like that."

The seal was a circle like theirs, but consisted of curls and a six pointed star in the middle, it looked like a floor tile design compared to a seal. It was a strange green and he noticed how the curls were actually vines. This was more concerning than anything else, it meant that there was another demon in the game and this irritated Sebastian. "Sempai is it supposed to show two seals?" asked Ronald cautiously. William was at a loss and looked to the silver haired retired shinigami, who leaned back in the chair and replied, "I've only heard of something like this, however what's even more unusual was the fact that as soon as Sebastian touched it the seals appeared. It even has a defense mechanism built in." The six of them stared at the orb as Canterbury poured them more coffee and tea.

Long silver hair flowed over the back of a violet kimono; it flowed down the side of the window seat. A pair of beautifully sculpted legs was visible in the dim evening light, they were a dark tan and as smooth as the silk she had been wrapped in. Long fingers held a cigarette between them; the orange glow was accented by a wisp of smoke which left the tip. The kimono had fallen open flawlessly; it was barely covering a smooth chest with a large bustling. Her skin was flawless, not a blemish existed to tarnish its perfection. A pair of violet eyes was locked on the streets bellow and she slowly exhaled. "Hannah?" asked a groggy voice, she looked over her shoulder at the mass tangled in silver sheets on the bed. She was silent and drew another drag from the cigarette, she had only started smoking in the last century, she usually did so after intimacy, it calmed her nerves. The sheets whispered as they were pushed away and she heard light foot steps as the man drew closer. "You're up rather late," he commented as he wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and breathed, "It's morning in London." The scent of tobacco and lavender clung to her, she could hear his pulse quicken and feel his breath on her neck. "It's evening here," he commented as he ran his lips up the side of her neck. Hannah chuckled and smiled crookedly, "We're in Japan, of course it's the evening," she whispered.

The man purred and whispered, "I'm bored, let's go back to bed." Hannah looked at him, his emerald green eyes glistened in the dim light and his blond hair stood out, a pair of glasses rested on his nose. He slowly slipped a hand down her chest and into the folds of her kimono. His fingers wrapped around one of her large breasts which made Hannah gasp and trembled in anticipation. "Damian, shouldn't you check the accounts?" she asked between gasps. The demon sighed and slipped his glasses back on his nose. He swept his blond hair back and walked back over to his laptop, "Well I have set up the system for the auction, it's nice to have such a diverse collection," he said as he opened the file on his laptop. The line up was filled with both European and Asian masters, it was a diverse auction, however, the items were expected to fetch billions of pounds. "And the other auction?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Damian smiled, he could feel her breasts on his back, they were soft and warm, "Well we have two big attractions, a summoning tome which we acquired from Shadow Pont and a rare item from you're employer," he said softly. Hannah smiled and nipped his ear, "Is your employer certain that he wants to sell the other? It is an unusual item and extremely powerful," he said cautiously. Hannah laced her fingers in his blond hair and whispered, "Having second thoughts?" Damian froze, in truth he had been having second thoughts since Hannah had approached him about becoming the accountant for the auction, he would be able to view everything on the manifest and handle all the accounts. He closed his eyes for a moment; he could remember how he had managed to track her down after she had left the clue in the back account. It was difficult, however, not impossible. He had been hacking for centuries and had developed expert skills on how to track individuals. Damian could remember the Skype conversation with Claude; however he had fallen victim to her charms. She sucked in his earlobe, he could feel her tongue caress the shell and he shivered, "No," he replied sternly. Claude had been right about one thing, she was irresistible.

"Well I will see what I can find about this kind of trap," said the Undertaker. He wrapped his black tipped fingers around Grell's and gently squeezed. Grell looked over at the shinigami and realized that he was suggesting they take their leave. Grell was about to protest, when he noticed how each of the four were glaring daggers at one another. The pair left quietly, there was no way they were going to risk their necks with the current atmosphere in the room. Even Canterbury had fled at the first chance he had gotten when Alex had returned with Thompson and Timber. "I will take Alex to the studio so she can get some work done," said Canterbury softly before fleeing. Sebastian crossed his legs and looked at Claude, "So what exactly did you tell him?" he asked. His red eyes were an even darker red than usual and Claude remembered what Ash had told him about Sebastian's lineage. He had no interest in experiencing the full power of the prince of Hell. Claude pushed his glasses up his nose and responded, "Just the basic preparation for intercourse between men." Sebastian looked slightly confused and looked at William who was blushing.

"I was married, and to be honest this is the first time I've ever desired to do it with a man," he confessed, even his ears were red and Ronald stared at him in shock. "I couldn't think of anyone else to ask, so I asked Claude for tips, so I didn't hurt him," he continued sheepishly, it was clear that he was beyond embarrassed. Sebastian looked at Claude who nodded and continued, "All I did was tell him how to prepare Ronald, sensitive areas and what he would need to make it easier on his lover." Ronald and Sebasitan looked at one another, before looking back to their partner's. "That's all?" asked Sebastian, there was a hint of shock in his voice. Claude looked at him and touched the side of Sebastian's face. "Did you think it would be anything else?" he asked softly, a sweet smile spread across his lips and he looked at his lover tenderly. "I would never tell him anything else about you," he whispered softly and leaned in to kiss Sebastian's forehead, "Never," he repeated. William slowly laced his fingers together with Ronald's and looked at him nervously, "I didn't want to hurt you, I was aware that if I didn't prepare you I would seriously hurt you," he said softly. Ronald smiled sympathetically and looked at William, "You know if you asked, I would have told you," he said softly. William's eyes shot up and he looked at Ronald in shock, "I did research before deciding I wanted to be yours, so I knew how to prepare myself. I didn't want you to feel guilty," he said. William sighed and laughed, they had both been thinking about the same thing. Neither of them wanted to cause the other pain. Sebastian looked at Claude and slowly leaned toward him, his lips were a breath away from Claude's ear, "Let's leave them alone to sort this out," he whispered. Claude looked at Sebastian, he noticed how oddly the raven had managed to forgive him and he nodded. Quietly the pair left the two shinigami alone to talk.

Ronald looked over to see that the two demons had left and he sighed, "They really are impossible to keep up with," he muttered. William chuckled and gently swept a strand of blonde hair from Roanld's face. "I think that's their way of giving us privacy," said William. He slowly stood and held his hand out, "I'm sorry about this morning, I honestly mistook it for you making an advance," he said softly. Ronald blushed, once again William was being blunt, it was that very bluntness which had made the blonde fall for his upright superior to begin with. "No I should have thought about what you would think," he said as he graciously took William's hand. He slowly rose to his feet and looked at his hand, which was being cradled by William's larger hand. It made him feel safe and he smiled, "Unfortunately we have to return to the dispatch and report our findings," William commented. Ronald looked away and was about to pull his hand away when he felt William squeeze it tightly. "I didn't say anything about you letting go," he said softly. Ronald looked up to see William smile happily, "I only said we had to return to dispatch, that doesn't mean we can't work together." Ronald smiled he had been dying to grab William's hand and hold onto it like a small child, praying that William would take him with him no matter where he went. "Okay," said Ronald softly a faint blush swept across his cheeks as the pair left the mansion, hand in hand.

Claude was leaning against the wall and looking out the window of the studio. Sebastian had perched in the window seat and was leaning against the same wall. He was reading a proposal in the study. Alex looked up to see the pair together, clearly Sebastian was feeling better. She smiled softly and slipped her readers off, she honestly loved watching them when they were together. They gravitated toward one another, and seemed pleased by just being in one another's company. "How's the design coming?" asked Sebastian. His eyes peered over the packet he was reading and Claude looked over at her. She nearly jumped out of her skin and she replied, "Its almost finished I'm just formatting the text." Sebastian placed the packet on the seat and walked over to her, Claude continued to gaze out the window. Sebastian looked over her shoulder and smiled, he loved the snowman she was making and noticed how child like it was. "This is different," he commented. Alex looked up at him and responded, "Its winder wonderland, and it's supposed to be warm." Sebastian nodded and gently placed his hand on the back of hers, which had been resting on the mouse. "Might I suggest this?" he asked as he guided her to the menus and opened the color adjustment menu, "It feels too cold," he commented as he slowly adjusted the image. The red became slightly brighter and over all the image became warmer, however the blue didn't loose it's hue. "There," he said as he pulled back. Alex nodded and said, "Thanks, I still have to do that liquor ad." Sebastian placed a hand on his hip and looked at her slightly confused, "Liquor?" he asked. Alex nodded and grabbed her legal pad, "Yeah," she replied, the pages rustled as she turned them. "It's for Dom Perignon, all of their labels, they want a bright advertisement for the holidays," she said as she saved the file. Sebastian smiled; she really was picking up high end contracts thanks to the gala.

Claude walked over and smiled as he watched the pair plan the second advertisement, "I want to avoid the traditional bubble thing," she said as she began sketching on the pad. Sebastian nodded and picked up a pencil, "So is it just a paper ad?" he asked as he pulled a memo pad from the desk. His handwriting was perfect as always, "Yes just a poster, which they may create a television advertisement in the US with," she commented. Sebastian nodded as he wrote it down and asked, "When will I see a daft?" She slowly sat back and tapped her chin with the pen which had been in her fingertips. She closed her eyes and then pointed at the computer screen, "Well I just finished the one of Kilmer, and I'm nearly finished with Harding's Chocolates," she said, "I would like to get this draft to you with in the next two days, it's to be put in print December fifth, so I have some time." Sebastian made notes of her progress and Claude slowly looked at the prints she had done of her work. He slowly picked them up and stared, she had certainly become even better than she had been before. Each design showed both the light and dark, it amused him as he looked over the advertisements. They were clearly her work, however there were subtle changes to the color scheme and layout which told him she was growing as a designer. His golden eyes glistened with pride as he looked at Alex and Sebastian. They really where quite the team, "Claude, what do you think of this?" asked Alex. Claude walked over and took a look at her sketch, it was true he had never seen a design like hers before and he smiled. "I love it," he said softly and ruffled her hair.