Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler, or anything affiliated with it. Black Butler belongs to Yana Toboso. Original characters are mine.

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Chapter 15

Ciel was standing next to the bed in the room he was given to prepare for the ball, Sebastian before him, dutifully disrobing the young earl from his travel clothes.

Sera was lounging like a cat in an armchair situated in the corner of the room, her enhanced eyes counting the dust motes floating above her in the air. Needless to say, she was bored.

Once Ciel was down to his shirt and trousers, he left the room to freshen up in the adjoining bathroom. Sebastian went about gathering the boy's clothes. He hung them up neatly in the armoire then bent down to retrieve Ciel's costume from his trunk.

"Do you ever get tired of it?"

Sebastian turned his head towards Sera, her eyes focused intently on his movements.

"Tired of what?"

"Of being at a human's beck and call."

Sebastian laid Ciel's costume out onto the bed, making sure there were no wrinkles in the fabric. "Yes, it's tiring, but I just think about the reward to come."

"Doesn't seem like it's worth it," Sera commented, her legs swinging lazily over the arm of the chair. "I mean, why don't you just hunt humans and eat their souls right there? Why bound yourself to the will of a child and serve them for Lucifer knows how long?

"You've never formed a contract, have you?"

"Nope," Sera answered. "I never had the desire to."

"Then you obviously don't know what you're missing," Sebastian said, shaking out a pair of black trousers.

Sera raised a dark brow at him. "First of all, if I ever formed a contract, I would have been stuck in one place, and that's not exactly safe for an unmated demoness. Second of all, now that I'm mated, would you let me even form one? In our culture, it's unheard of for a mated demoness to even leave the bedroom, let alone go off on their own to make a contract."

Sebastian paused in his work, a contemplative look on his face. "Hmm, I've never thought of it that way."

"Of course you haven't," Sera rolled her eyes, "you're not a female. The rules are completely different for you."

Sebastian retrieved the boots that were supposed to go with his master's costume and placed them on the floor next to the bed, kneeling down to check and make sure they were perfectly shined. "Well rules aside, a contracted soul is completely different from an instantaneous soul."

Sera shifted on the chair, curling her legs underneath her and leaning her elbow on the arm rest, her cheek in her hand. "So I've been told," she said blandly.

"There's just something about the taste that's decidedly different," Sebastian continued, ignoring his mate's attitude. "As time goes on, the soul has been molded by the desires of the host, their emotions cooked slowly… carefully. And the taste is always different with each human. The soul could be broiled with rage or simmered with lust. Their motivation seasons the soul and time allows it to marinate until that final day comes."

Sera's demeanor quickly changed as she listened to Sebastian speak. His head had tilted back and his eyes had closed, a wistful smile upon his lips. She was enraptured by the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"And when the end does come, and their goal has been met," Sebastian continued, his eyes opening slowly. He sighed in desperate want as his eyes glowed their demonic red. "Nothing else compares."

Sera was broken out of her trance when she caught the last thing Sebastian had said. "Oh really?"

Noting the annoyance in her voice, Sebastian's eyes faded back to their normal color and he turned to look questioningly at his mate.

"Nothing else compares? I'll give you one guess as to who's sleeping alone tonight."

Sebastian chuckled at the peeved look on her face. "Oh, my pet, you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Uh huh," she answered doubtfully. "So you're not sporting a hard on after that dramatic description?"

Sebastian gave her a disapproving look, but before he could say anything, Ciel came back into the room. "I'm ready to get dressed now. Sera, leave the room."

Sera lifted herself from the chair with a huff, forever annoyed with how Ciel spoke to her. "Fine. I'll just go ready myself in the next room."

She went and picked up her trunk which had been placed next to the door, no doubt by one of the demon triplets. The black trunk was pretty big compared to Sera's small stature, but it was no problem with her supernatural strength.

Sebastian gave her a warning look as she went to leave the room. "I'll be fine, Sebastian. I'll just be next door. You'll know if anything happens." No one would dare attack her with Sebastian so close, and if they did, it wasn't like she would allow them the chance to harm her. She knew how to fight, and she would spare no mercy for anyone stupid enough to try.

The room she decided to occupy was decorated much like the one Ciel was using; all gaudy colors and tacky furnishings. She almost gagged at the mix of lavender, pink, and gold that made up the walls, curtains, and bedspread. Doing her best to ignore her surroundings Sera lifted her trunk onto the bed and unlocked it, a burst of excitement going through her as she lifted the lid. As she looked down at her costume within, an impish grin appeared on her face.

"This is going to be so much fun."

Sebastian gave a small nod and a bow towards Ciel, as he left with Soma and Agni who had come to escort him to the ballroom.

Ciel gave him a brief look in turn before they disappeared around the corner. Sebastian would have to be extremely swift in his search of the mansion, and especially swift given the minimal amount of time that he had. And with the extra demons roaming around, that made his job that much more challenging.

With that thought, Sebastian knew it was time to get to work, but first he needed to make sure that Sera was ready and escort her down to the ballroom. He gave a brief knock on the door before he went to open it. He was just about to ask if she was ready when his words were caught in his throat.

For a split second, Sebastian thought he had been transferred to heaven, and though the thought of being in that dreadful place terrified him, if this was what awaited him, he probably wouldn't mind.

Sera's back was to him and he watched as her gloved hands smoothed down the dress at her waist. The sound of Sebastian opening the door caught her attention and she looked over her shoulder, a beautiful smile overtaking her lips as she turned fully in his direction.

It appeared his demoness had turned herself into an angel.

Her gown was strapless and made of white feathers and tulle, the sweetheart neckline dropping into a small "V" at her bust, molding against her breasts perfectly. The entire torso of the gown was made up of small white feathers, but at her waist the feathers grew bigger spread down both sides of her dress, a small gap on the front and back showing the tulle beneath. The bottom half of the dress was no less magnificent. It flared out at her waist, the layers of fabric underneath adding volume to the skirt. Beneath the tulle there were golden flowers artfully scattered around the dress, and at the hem was a masterpiece of needlework, showing a garden of intricate gold and interweaving flowers.

Her hands and arms were covered with elbow length white velvet gloves, and her black hair was half down, the curls covering the black lacing of the corseted back. She had placed the upper half of her hair in an intricate bun, with a golden hair accessory wrapped around it. What was astonishing was that the hair accessory had sharp golden sticks pointing out in each direction, emerging from the center, making the illusion of rays of light bursting from her head, almost like a halo.

And though the entirety of her ensemble was breathtaking, the most eye-catching part were the beautiful white feathered wings edged in gold that emerged from the back of the gown. They were small but big enough to make an impression as they arched outward and up, the tips of the innermost feathers reaching high above her head and pointing towards the ceiling. The feathers were held together by golden attachments that acted as the joints of the wings, which were flanking each side of her head. There was a sizeable gap between the wings at her back, which allowed her long, curled hair to fall freely between them.

The edge of her gown brushed the floor, and she had to lift the front of the dress in order to walk towards him. Sebastian noted that she was wearing white heeled boots, a beautiful design of vines and flowers stitched onto the material. They were form fitting to her calves, a tight lacing going up the front.

As she reached him, she gave a slow turn to show off her dress, that grin still gracing her plump, pink lips. "So… how do I look?"

Sebastian blinked, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for something to say.

Sera giggled at his reaction, extremely pleased to know her hard work had paid off. "My my, have I made the all-powerful demon, Asmodeus, speechless with my appearance alone? It appears I have surpassed even my own expectations."

Sebastian reached out his hands and traced his fingers over the gown, caressing the feathers at her waist, completely entranced with the vision before him. "This is what you were working so tirelessly on?"

"Yes, and I would have finished sooner had you not kept pawing at me every chance you got."

Sebastian chuckled, as his eyes continued to study her gown, unable to look away. "My apologies, but if this was the outcome, I shudder to think of what you would have made without my interference."

Sera gave him a mischievous grin. "Well, I can't say I didn't enjoy your attention."

Sebastian smiled in reply as he carefully traced the wings extending from her back, running his fingers along the edge until he reached her makeshift halo. "This is interesting."

"Clever, right?" She asked excitedly, her own hand coming up to touch the accessory fastened to her bun. "The sticks are needle sharp and can detach from the middle. It will make a good weapon if I need one."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "Well if I can help it, you won't."

Sera tapped her finger on his nose, her hands moving down to grip his waist as she leaned into him, her breasts pressing delightfully against his chest. "Never hurts to be prepared."

Sebastian brushed some of her hair back, leaning down to place a lingering kiss to her exposed shoulder. "I suppose so."

"I don't know how I feel about this though," Sebastian said, gesturing to her cleavage.

"Well, tough shit," Sera replied brushing past him to head for the door. "The dress is made and there's no time for alterations."

Sebastian just shook his head as he followed after her. Though it was highly unlikely, he really hoped things would go smoothly. For both their sakes.

Sera looped her arm through Sebastian's and gathered a fistful of her dress with her other hand as they made their way down to the ballroom. As they came upon the doors, Sebastian spied Ciel across the room on the other side of the dance floor. "Alright, I'll be investigating the mansion. You stay with the young master, and try to keep both him and yourself out of trouble."

"Your lack of faith in me is astounding."

Sebastian leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Sera's cheek, then the back of her hand, giving her a small grin at the humorless look on her face. Sera hadn't even fully turned her back on him before she felt him disappear into the shadows of the mansion. Squaring her shoulders, she looked upon the party, both irritated at the thought of having to mingle with human vermin and a bit hungry knowing that she was surrounded by souls. It was bothersome, though, knowing that neither Ciel nor Sebastian would approve of her taking some food to go.

She shook her head, deciding that as soon as she could, she would have to tell Sebastian that she needed to feed. And with that thought, she entered the ballroom like a queen amongst peasants, cause that's exactly the situation she was currently in.

Gasps were heard across the room and whispers spread like wildfire as Sera attracted every set of eyes. The male and female guests were looking at her in awe, her appearance a rare radiance that they would never experience again in their short, pathetic lifetimes. Ciel and Sebastian weren't wrong in their teasing; Sera thrived on this feeling, knowing she was the center of attention. Shoulder's back and head held high, her rosy pink lips were tweaked in a small smile as she glided through the room, the breadth of her wings causing the crowd to part for her person.

Ciel with his short stature didn't get a good look at the source of the commotion until Sera was almost next to him. By the time she made it to his side, the music had started up again and the guests were brought into another dance, though that didn't cease both lustful and envious looks that were sent her way. Knowing the lust wasn't coming from just the men made her grin on the inside. Humans were so obvious in their desires.

Sera quietly took her place by Ciel's side, looking down at him from the corner of her eye as she noticed the small blush rise on his cheeks as he finally got a good look at her outfit. His one blue eye raked her up and down, a bored expression on his face.

"An angel? That's rather ironic, don't you think?"

Sera looked the teen up and down. "And what are you? A pirate? Here to steal some hearts?" Sera teased.

Ciel haughtily sniffed his nose at her comment.

"Well, good on you to notice my intentions for my own costume," Sera continued, ignoring Ciel's arrogance. "I thought it would be a rather funny joke, given that there are only a handful of people who can appreciate the humor of it all."

Ciel took a sip of his drink. "I'm sure Sebastian found it hilarious."

"Actually, Sebastian had things other than humor on his mind when he saw me."

Ciel gave her a questioning look, his brow furrowing when she gave him a mischievous wink.

"What do you mean?"

Sera rolled her eyes at Ciel's naivety. "Given all you've been through, I'm honestly astonished at how innocent you actually are."

Ciel looked at her, his mouth agape. "I'm not innocent!"

Sera chuckled as her eyes perused the room. "Oh really? Then let me ask you a question: do you even know where babies come from?"

Ciel's jaw nearly hit the floor as he struggled to come up with a reply.

"Do Sebastian and I need to give you the birds and the bees talk?" Sera asked, her tone condescending. "I assume someone needs to, given that mommy and daddy Phantomhive aren't here to do it."

Ciel grit his teeth and hissed under his breath, "I know where babies come from." Though the bright red spots on his cheeks told Sera otherwise.

"I should hope so, for the sake of your future bride."

Before Ciel could reply, the said bride to be appeared before them.

"Ciel!" Elizabeth held a brown and white feather in front of her intended. The blonde was sporting her own feather in a band around her head, her costume a rather poor and insulting rendition of Native American Indian clothing. "You wear one of these too, ok?"

Ciel let out a bored sigh, doing his best to ignore what his annoying housekeeper had said. "Fine."

Elizabeth giggled as she stuck the feather in Ciel's hat, jumping up and down in joy at being able to match (at least in her mind) with her betrothed, though their costumes were night and day. Ciel really did look like a pirate, if pirates were pre-pubescent teenage boys. Sebastian did a remarkable job on the costume; from Ciel's blue, red, and gold coat to his large and magnificent pirate's hat, a white plumage feather sticking out from the cap. He even had a sword sheathed at his side, though Sera pondered if it was real or not. Knowing the dynamic duo that was Sebastian and Ciel, it was probably real.

"Now we match!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

As her heart eyes for her fiancé faded from her eyes, Elizabeth took notice of Sera who had been watching the interaction with a small smile.

"Oh, Sera! You look absolutely gorgeous!" Elizabeth gushed as she clutched her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling as they took in Sera's costume. "You look like a real angel!"

"And have you seen many angels, my lady?" Sera teased.

Elizabeth blushed, an embarrassed smile on her face. "Well you look like what I imagine an angel to be."

"She's right," a deep voice interrupted.

Sera turned to see Soma and Agni approaching them. Agni reached for Sera's hand and pressed a gentle kiss upon the back. "If I had any doubts of the existence of angels, they are all gone after seeing you, Mrs. Michaelis."

Sera pressed her other hand to her chest, a pleased smile on her lips. "Why Agni, Sebastian didn't tell me you had such a way with words."

The white-haired man gave her a kind smile, but he wasn't able to disguise the blush that had arisen under the dark shade of his skin. Soma had an equally vigorous blush on his own cheeks while he was trying to avoid looking at Sera, though his eyes kept wandering back to her.

"You're not wearing a costume, highness," Elizabeth commented.

The young prince, who was dressed like a modern-day English detective, turned away from Sebastian's bride to address his young friend's fiancé. "Of course, I am. Sherlock Holmes, at your service!"

Sera sidled up next to Agni, deciding to put her flirtations on display, if only because she was bored. "And I assume you're Sherlock's faithful friend and partner, John Watson?" Agni was wearing a crisp white shirt beneath an olive-green suit. His jacket was buttoned up, and tucked beneath it was a forest green tie. His hair was uncovered, the short white strands framing his face attractively, and upon that face was a fake, white mustache. The only things he kept from his normal attire was the red bindi that was placed in the center of his forehead, as well as the white bandages which were wrapped around his right hand.

"Quite astute, Mrs. Michaelis," Agni smiled, though his eyes nearly popped out of his head when Sera laid her hand upon his arm.

"Please, Agni. A friend of my husband is a friend of mine. Call me Sera." The demoness inwardly smirked knowing that one smile from her and his lust would roar to the surface.

But… nothing happened.

After a moment, Sera's eyes pulsed in shock when the only emotion she felt from him was… indifference.

Agni relaxed his posture and gave Sera a warm smile as he patted the hand that she had placed upon his forearm. "Thank you, Sera. I cherish the friendship of your husband, and it would be my honor to call you a friend as well." He then took a step away and gave her a respectful bow.

Sera blinked in surprise before she gave a small curtsy in return.

No one had ever been able to resist her flirtations before, subtle or not. One nonchalant look from her had even the male species of her own race falling at her feet.

What an interesting human, Sera thought.

Both Sera and Agni's attentions were taken when Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finny made their appearance.

"Look, Master!" The three servants chanted together.

Sera and Ciel turned to see the group each striking a pose. They were each dressed in simple costumes that looked to reflect the clothing of 16th century China. Given their limited resources and knowing what authentic Chinese clothing from the era of the Ming Dynasty actually looked like, Sera didn't think they looked half bad.

"We're the three creatures from The Journey to the West," Baldroy announced, though his voice was muffled due to the yellow beak that was covering his mouth. He was dressed in a teal vest with a dark gray shirt, and a giant necklace of black spheres wrapped around his neck. He was also holding a staff with a half crescent moon fixed on one end, and on his head was a flat blue and yellow hat in the shape of a sun.

Finny was wearing similar clothes in the shades of blue, brown, and red, while holding a red staff. He also had a gold circlet around his blonde hair, and a monkey tail trailing out of the back of his pants. Mey-Rin was wearing a teal ensemble, her top cropped right below her breasts which bared her entire midriff, as well as showing a shocking display of cleavage which Sera had to admire. The maid was also wearing a fake pig nose and a headband with floppy pig ears situated on top of her red locks. In her hands she was carrying what looked to be an iron rake.

"I'm the magic monkey!" Finny proudly exclaimed.

"Do you like it? Pretty neat, ey?" Mey-Rin asked the young earl.

Ciel gave them a calculating look as they modeled their wardrobe. Sera wanted to both applaud them at their creativity and laugh at their attempts.

"We even made a costume for you," Baldroy told the Earl. "Ta-daaaaa," the three servants sang in unison.

Each of the servants held up parts of a costume that was apparently supposed to be the main protagonist of The Journey to the West. The outfit consisted of an opulent cream robe with a double layered pearl necklace, a crown with a veil that extended from the back, and a bald headpiece to hide Ciel's hair.

Sera covered her mouth with her hand as she attempted to stifle her laughter, imagining the young earl dressed in the garish outfit, his normally blackish blue locks concealed by the bald head covering.

"It's not happening," Ciel deadpanned, the same embarrassing thoughts running through his head.

The servants groaned in disappointment at having their fun ruined.

"Well maybe just this part of it?" Finny asked desperately.

Sera was distracted by a familiar voice that came from across the room and spotted Lau and his companion lounging most comfortably on a couch. She was surprised with just how comfortable the pair was given the atmosphere they were in.

Ran-Mao was reclined on the sofa, her legs splayed over Lau's lap. Sera couldn't help but focus her gaze on the length of Ran-Mao's legs, which were indecently exposed through the high parting of her pink and green hanfu. Ran-Mao's shoulders were uncovered as well, her breasts nearly slipping from the material of her robe. Sera honestly had no idea how the robe was holding up, but she wasn't one to complain at the sight.

The Chinese gentleman was, funnily enough, dressed in a Chinese costume. His hair was covered by a semi bald cap that had hair coming out the sides and a short ponytail sprouting from the bald portion in the center.

Sera caught Lau's eyes as they opened for a fraction of a second to peruse her body. She followed the motion of his hand as it stroked sensually up and down Ran-Mao's smooth calf.

Despite being across the room, Sera had no difficulty hearing Lau's voice.

"Tonight's party promises to be an amusing affair. Don't you think, Ran-Mao?"

Sera shook her head in amusement as the Chinese aristocrat gave her a wink before closing his eyes once more, an opium pipe poised neatly between his fingers.

Sera let out a sigh as she turned back to her small group of misfits, already bored with the party if she was being honest with herself. She couldn't help but wonder how Sebastian was doing in his search. Hopefully he was having more fun than she was.

Sebastian opened another drawer in another bedroom, finding nothing of importance so far in his search of the Trancy mansion. He honestly felt the whole ordeal to be futile, having a good guess already as to what Claude really wanted, and no matter how high or low he looked, there was truly nothing to be found within the estate. He was ordered to search though, so search he shall.

He picked up on movement coming down the hall and knew he wouldn't be alone soon. Sebastian wasn't nervous about getting caught though because he honestly expected it. Claude would truly be a fool if he thought Ciel wouldn't order Sebastian to do an extensive search of the mansion after inviting them right through the front door.

Just as Sebastian closed the drawer to the desk he was searching, he heard the door to the bedroom open behind him. Smirk already in place, he turned to see the golden eyes and sallow face of Claude Faustus.

"This is an immaculate room," Sebastian sarcastically praised. "Everything is perfect. From the neatness of the bedclothes to the placement of the artwork. I can tell how much care you took to properly prepare it. I find it most educational."

Not one flicker of emotion passed Claude's face. "I'm pleased to be of help. Though I find your willingness to stoop to petty thievery in service to your master more impressive."

Sebastian smirked, "You flatter me." The smile quickly faded from his lips as he walked towards the other demon, not stopping until he stood before the doorway. He glared at Claude behind his back, a burst of fury igniting throughout his body. This fool dared to show such nonchalance in Sebastian's presence, truly believing he had nothing to fear, so casually keeping his back towards Sebastian.

"I will not let you have Sera. I am her mate, and she is mine completely. Come hell or high water, that remains."

"Nothing is set in stone," Claude replied. "You will not stand in my way; she will be mine."

It took everything within Sebastian to hold back the forces of hell he wished to unleash. He remained calm, though. He would not stoop to this fool's level. "That is a pathetic wish that will never come to fruition." Not wanting to be in the other demon's presence, Sebastian politely excused himself like the gentleman butler he was.

The Phantomhive butler felt Claude's glare as he continued down the hallway, intent to continue the search that he knew was in vain.

Oh my god I did it! I got out another chapter! I'm so sorry for this embarrassingly long wait. My only excuses are school and work. It's just so tiresome to write all the time for my classes that I have zero desire to write for fun. Also, for anyone who doesn't follow my Instagram page for this story and heard my other explanation, I ended up getting Covid like a week and a half ago. Quarantine sucks aaaasssssss, but I did it. The virus literally took all the energy from my body, so writing was the furthest from my mind. I basically slept the whole time.

I really encourage you guys to follow my Instagram page if you would like to stay updated on my writing process. I also post chapter boards and such so you can get a visual of what I'm seeing and describing for certain things (like Sera's outfits!). My username is hisdemoness

I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! This chapter follows episode 5 in season 2, and I had to stop at the halfway point because it was getting too long. I should finish out the rest of this episode in the next chapter.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed since the last chapter! I read and cherish all your kind words and I do my best to write back (though I admit I'm terrible at replying lol).

Please please please leave a review! Your words really do ignite my desire to write!

Until next time (which hopefully isn't as long as last time)

XOXO,

Alyssa