A/N- Hi! I haven't written in a few years because my laptop kinda crapped out and I also started dealing with some minor health issues. I'm not sure I'll be back to writing and posting regularly again, but I would like to as I've missed it so much!
Some notes about this story, I'm not sure yet if this will go past an angsty one-shot, probably not, but people will be very OOC, it's modern AU, and Ciel is 20 years old. I don't know in the manga what countries Phantomhive stuff is sold (the candy and toys) so I've picked a few randomly. There's not going to be smut or anything, bc I'm so out of practice that I don't wanna launch into smut lol
As always, I hope you enjoy this story, however long it may end up, and please let me know what you thought!
Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim rights to Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji, manga or anime. All rights belong to Yana Toboso.
"Ciel Phantomhive is missing." The TV drones on, the reporter sounding disinterested, as if a wealthy member of nobility going missing was anything but concerning. Sebastian was glaring daggers at the screen, rage boiling in his stomach, making bile rise in his throat. He clenched the edge of the desk he was sitting at, knuckles going white.
"Stupid cow. He's been gone for 12 hours, where is the urgency for tips?" He said, seemingly to no one, so he was surprised when he got a response.
"They probably think he ran off, he's a 20 year old kid with money. They expect he'll come strolling through in a few weeks with a nice tan and some woman on his arm."
Sebastian turned to see Ciel's aunt standing in the doorway to the study. She looked as angry as he felt, so he knew she wasn't being snide.
"Madam Red," he stood, "I wasn't expecting you yet."
She waved him off with a sad smile. "I couldn't stand being alone anymore, and the cops haven't bothered to come speak to me, so here I am."
The demon nodded. "I understand. They only briefly spoke to me. It doesn't seem like they're doing what they should. I know them even running a report is shocking, as they rarely acknowledge someone as missing until at least 24 hours has passed. But they were told by multiple people that Ciel wouldn't run off and that this is concerning."
"He had a meeting today didn't he?" She asked, joining Sebastian at the table.
He nodded, again staring at the television as the news moved on to the weather.
"Yes, he was meeting with people representing companies in countries Phantomhive products are not yet sold in. Italy, Germany, Canada. A few others, but those were the primary three. He never showed up to the conference room where they were all waiting."
Anne looked at the TV as well. It was a moment before she spoke, so quietly that Sebastian almost missed it.
"Would anyone from a competing company have been involved? I mean, I know business of any kind can run risks when there is competition." She turned and locked eyes with the butler.
Sebastian shrugged. "Could be, but I was thinking more along the lines of his work for the Queen. He's made a fair few enemies working for the crown."
She nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is true but—" Anne was cut off when the TV blared that there was an update. They both froze, their eyes glued to the screen.
"Reports are coming in from Scotland Yard that the missing person case of Earl Ciel Phantomhive has taken high priority following a call detectives received from the apparent kidnappers. They are threatening the young man if they don't receive a ransom of £5,000,000, stating that they expect the payment in full in three-days time. Police have not been able to contact the kidnappers again, and are working with Phantomhive's family to find a solution. We'll be sure to update when any new information becomes available. The tip line, the number for which is on screen, is now open. Any viable information is greatly appreciated."
The newscaster moved onto a different story. Sebastian stood, fists clenched at his side. "You're his only family, and they're not here working with you or anyone who is close to him." He turned to Anne, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "How would you feel about going to Scotland Yard and helping?"
Anne stood, and gave one curt nod. "Why, that's just the thing we should do, isn't it? Yes, I believe we have some things to say. I'll drive."
Sebastian grabbed a jacket from the hall as he followed Anne out of the Manor to her car.
The drive was silent, neither knowing what to say, and a bit afraid that if they spoke, they'd begin to panic and feed into each other's anxiety. The drive was also, blessedly, short with Anne's somewhat illegal driving.
They pulled into a large, fenced parking lot, guest parking as near to the police station as they could get. They quickly exited the vehicle, Anne locked it, and they started up the block towards the station. When they walked in, they saw chaos. Uniformed officers hurrying back and forth, carrying armloads of papers and phone tracing equipment. Sebastian raised an eyebrow as he took in the scene.
He gestured for Anne to move behind him, grabbing hold of her wrist to keep her from getting stuck in the mess of bodies in the lobby. He wove his way through, finally making his way to the reception desk. The reception clerk was typing away. Sebastian cleared his throat, getting no reaction. He repeated the sound, more loudly. The receptionist glanced up, looking flustered.
"Yes?" She asked.
Sebastian bit back the urge to be cruel to her, knowing she was flustered because the whole station seemed to be in a tizzy. "Hello, I'd like to know who to speak to about the missing Earl?"
"Oh, uhm, one second please?" She turned to her office phone and punched line 3. Sebastian looked briefly to her nameplate, noting her name was Emily. He watched her begin quietly speaking, telling whoever was dealing with Ciel's case. Another moment later, and the phone was dropped on the cradle and she turned back to them.
"Detective Adams will see you in her office. She's quite flustered as well, so she may be blunt."
Sebastian smirked. "I can manage."
"Alright, her office is the last door straight down the hall." She pointed to her left, and the pair quickly muttered their thanks and walked down the hall.
When they reached the door, the demon gave two sharp knocks. A voice told them to enter, so Sebastian opened the door.
Detective Adams was a tall, attractive woman, her long black hair braided close to her scalp, and a hint of blush visible in her earthen skin. She looked like she'd been run ragged.
"Emily said you had information about Earl Phantomhive? Please have a seat."
They sat. Detective Adams looked at Sebastian, pen hovering over a notepad. "So what do you need to tell me?"
"I work for Earl Phantomhive, his personal butler, and this is his only living blood relative, his Aunt Anne. We saw the news report, claiming police were working with family, I've barely been spoken to, and Anne didn't have much discussion with anyone either."
"The man we spoke to said he was Earl Phantomhive's cousin. I'll let my officers know he lied. I'm sorry about that, truely."
Sebastian nodded and looked at Anne, who nodded as well. "Thank you, now onto the matter at hand. I know My Lord was meant to be in a business meeting this morning. I was contacted by a secretary of one of the men he was meeting with, asking if I would confirm that Ciel was on his way to the meeting, as he was more than an hour late. I told him that Ciel had left nearly two hours prior, wanting to be early. He likes being there before anyone he's meeting, he thinks it's a solid first impression, especially because he's young."
Detective Adams nodded, writing what he was telling her in quick shorthand.
He continued. "As you should know, My Lord works for the Queen, investigating confidential issues, oftentimes recruiting officers for aid. This has put him on some very dangerous people's radars and I fear someone has acted on the wishes of these unsavory characters."
Detective Adams looked up. "You don't think a rival business was involved?"
Sebastian shook his head. "No, competing companies do more slander marketing than anything physical. If someone is holding him for ransom, they're not a competitor."
She nodded. "Alright, if you can tell me, what was the last assignment from Her Majesty?"
Sebastian clasped his hands together. "If I tell you, because it is an ongoing investigation, it doesn't leave this room, or go into your case notes. Understood? Because he would tell the Queen."
Detective Adams' lips pressed into a thin line as she gave a single nod. "Understood." She set her pen down.
"Good. Ciel had been tasked with looking into a current influx of heroin, stamped with a Matryoshka doll. So he suspected the Russian mafia had been upping their imports, trying to make up for lost product when they got busted a few months ago."
Anne nodded. "Yes, he had asked me if I'd been seeing a rise in heroin overdoses, to which I told him yes. I'm a doctor, you see, and I knew that a number of local hospitals and rehab facilities had seen an uptick in patients using heroin."
Detective Adams closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If he was looking into the Russians, they'd have figured it out." She looked them each in the eyes. "We recently fired two officers for feeding them information. Losing their source here would have made them more cautious, if they found out the Earl was investigating, they would have no qualms about taking him, and demanding such a high ransom. The question is, does he have time for us to deliberate over setting up a drop to get him and arrest those who've taken him?"
"They said three days, we can only hope that they keep their word there. Did they give any information about how to contact them about the payment?"
Adams shook her head, face grim. "No."
That single word made Sebastian's blood run cold. "They don't want money, they just want a spectacle, they want us to think we can save him. If we don't find him before those three days are up, we're going to find a body."
Detective Adams blanched. "You're right." She turned away, picking up her phone, punching the line for the receptionist. "Yes, Emily, call everyone into conference room 4, now. I'll be there in a moment." She returned the phone to the cradle.
She stood and gestured for Sebastian and Anne to follow her, which they did quickly. She walked quickly out of the office, quietly saying, "We have to tell my officers what we're looking for. I won't mention he was actively investigating the Russians, but just imply they were holding a grudge. They should believe that since the tip off that led to the drug bust came from the Earl."
"That should skirt his responsibility of secrecy in a believable manner." Sebastian replied. He knew that some officers would get it in their heads that this wasn't a grudge per se, but rather the result of Ciel still digging, but this information needed to be shared if they wanted to find him.
The walk to the conference room was short, and Detective Adams held the door open for them, following and locking the door after they'd stepped through. The room was filled with most of the officers who had been in the lobby, plus a few Sebastian had not seen when they entered the station. Adams confidently strode to the center podium and cleared her throat into the microphone. A hush fell over the room as approximately 60 people fixed their eyes on her.
"Thank you for getting in here so quickly. These two," she gestured to Anne and Sebastian, "are close with the Earl Phantomhive. His aunt and personal butler. They informed me that we were not in fact working with his family, the man who told us he was a cousin lied. We need to disregard everything he said. My new information paints a much darker picture than we'd thought. The Earl was taken by the Russian mafia for his involvement in tipping us off to their movements, allowing us to make one of the biggest drug busts to date. They lost men, money, and product when we busted them, they claimed to want a ransom, but they gave us no location to make a drop and no way to contact them. They don't want money, they want blood. So what we need to do now, is find everyone we know who will talk, CIs, ex mafia. We need to know if anyone has a clue where the new HQ is. A young man's life depends on us. So hit the streets, find your informants, let's find Earl Phantomhive!" People began getting up, a buzz filling the room as people decided who they'd partner off with to do as their lead detective bid. Then the officers began filing out of the conference room, moving quickly.
Detective Adams walked back to Sebastian and Anne. "As you're both civilians, I can't let you help more than the information you've given, but if you give me your numbers, I can call you as any new information presents itself."
Sebastian nodded. "We understand. If you need to head out, we can leave our numbers with Emily."
Detective Adams offered a small smile. "That would be perfect, thank you. Emily will make sure I know your numbers." She shook each of their hands, before turning and walking to another waiting officer, presumably who she'd be working the case with.
The pair left the conference room, walking quickly back to the lobby, and finding it in much quieter order. They wrote their numbers down on a Post It pad Emily handed them before leaving the station. They walked slowly to the guest parking lot, watching as police cars streamed out of a different lot in differing directions.
Sebastian stopped beside Anne's car. She looked up at him. "I'm worried too. But I fear if we tried to help him, we might make things worse."
"You're probably right Anne. But I'm going to feel dreadfully useless waiting on someone to call."
She unlocked the car, allowing Sebastian to pull open the door and drop into the passenger seat. She dropped into the driver's side seat, put the key in the ignition, hesitating before turning the key. They sat in silence for a moment before she put the car in reverse and left the parking lot. The drive back to the manor was much slower, with Anne following basic rules of the road.
They got back to the estate, and Anne followed Sebastian to the same study she'd found him in before.
"You should stay here until he's home. It will make it easier if we need to rush off again. I'll have Mey-Rin fix up a guest room."
Anne nodded. "Thank you. I was going to hate leaving without Ciel being home."
They sat in the study, watching the TV quietly, cell phones on the table in front of them, screens annoyingly, painfully dark. They stayed in the study well into the evening before both retreating to their bedrooms.
The next day and a half passed with little word on the TV, and only one phone call from Detective Adams, who only called to let them know they were still talking to people and were hopeful about a handful of informants.
They only had a few hours left before the 3 am deadline set by the kidnappers. Sebastian was fidgeting with a pen, a cold fear gripping his heart. He'd disobeyed Detective Adams wishes, going out on his own trying to find information. All he'd found was an area in downtown London where people had said they've seen criminal types lurking. He'd told someone, threatened rather, to have them contact Detective Adams with the location. He was waiting for her to call with that update. Sebastian had told her that he'd be there, wherever they went. She couldn't leave him out if she wanted to, or Anne for that matter.
"Anything yet?" Anne asked from the doorway.
The demon simply shook his head, brows furrowed in frustration.
She sighed, and walked into the study, sitting next to the butler. She set her mobile next to his. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Sebastian's phone lit up, ringing with Adams's number. He snatched the phone up and answered, putting it on speaker phone.
"Detective?"
"Hello Sebastian. We have a location and if you're determined to be there, you need to hurry."
He looked at Anne while replying. "Where are we meeting you?"
She quickly gave the address he'd found. He thanked her and hung up, standing and quickly stalking from the study. Anne followed closely behind.
"We only have an hour and a half left, we're gonna get there just before the deadline."
Anne's footsteps echoed down the hall as she followed him into the manor foyer. "Yes, we'll be pushing it. But you know how fast I can drive."
They walked into the cool night air, almost jogging to Madam Red's car. Sebastian had barely sat and closed the door when she peeled out of the driveway, speeding off into the darkness.
They were silent, only the thrum of the engine to accompany them. She skidded as she took a corner, slowing as they began to see the police car lights. She pulled over and they both jumped out of the car, Anne barely stopping to grab her medical bag from the backseat, taking quick steps down the street to where Detective Adams was standing. They only had a few minutes left.
She looked up as they approached. "You made good time. We're about to go in, if I'm letting you come in, you are staying behind us until we've cleared the room. If you can't agree to that, you're staying out here."
Sebastian and Anne replied in unison. "I understand."
Officers began to place themselves in a triangle formation, placing Sebastian and Anne in the middle. The group started towards the warehouse up the block, moving quickly and quietly. The heavily armored officers in the front breached the door and police flooded through. Sebastian had barely gotten through the door when he saw the sight in front of the group.
Ciel was there, shirt torn off, cuts and bruises darkening his porcelain skin to plum and yellow. He had faint shadows on his jaw where he'd been unable to shave and his hair was matted with blood and dirt.
He barely had time to raise his head, swollen eyes searching for Sebastian before the only captor remaining, a large, bald, tattooed man, sunk a long knife deep into his ribs, angling for his heart, twisting as soon as the hilt stopped against his skin. Ciel's eyes widened, staring at Sebastian as a small cry of agony was wrenched from his lips before his petite body fell limp in the chair he was tied to.
Detective Adams shattered the silence when she pulled her trigger. Shooting the man in his shoulder, she was close enough that the shot's impact made him stumble away from Ciel, leaving the knife. Officers swarmed the now unarmed thug, tackling him and cuffing him while Sebastian and Anne rushed to Ciel, Anne slinging the bag around to the floor, quickly opening it and pulling gauze and tape out, and Sebastian kneeling in front of Ciel. He brushed hair out of his face, gentle tapping his cheek.
"Seb...Sebas..tian.."
"Shh, we're here, don't try to move."
He looked at Anne as she began packing gauze around the blade, careful not to jostle it as she steadied the handle so he could more safely be moved into an ambulance.
"H-hurts.. am..am I going to die?"
Sebastians heart clenched at the fear in his Lord's voice. "No, I won't let that happen."
Ciel made a harsh scoffing sound. "I rather think you don't have a choice."
Sebastian shook his head as he lifted Ciel's chin, making him look into his eyes. "Ciel, you will survive this."
Ciel was getting paler as the rushing blood down his torso slowed, barely able to keep his head up.
"Sebastian…"
"Yes My Lord?" Sebastian spoke quickly, fearing Ciel would lose consciousness.
The Earl gave a small, bitter laugh, speaking so quietly only Sebastian heard him. "I… I think I might love you."
He passed out, and panic flooded Sebastian's veins.
"Ciel! Ciel, wake up, come on, talk to me!" He was careful not to move Ciel as he began shouting, fear evident in his voice.
He distantly heard sirens, and somewhere in his mind he knew that meant the ambulances had arrived.
Ciel was carefully loaded onto a stretcher after the paramedics had confirmed that the blade was stabilized enough to move him, and he was quickly wheeled out into the cold night air. Sebastian watched as Anne got into the ambulance with him after she tossed her car keys to him.
He took a few steps towards her car when someone's hand on his arm stopped him. He turned and saw Detective Adams standing there, a dark, sad look on her face. "I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. If you'd like, I can have one of my officers escort you to the hospital so you get there with the ambulance."
The demon looked at her before nodding. "Yes, I would appreciate that, I'd like to be there with Anne should something happen."
She nodded and called over a uniformed officer, telling him quickly to lead Sebastian to the hospital with the ambulance. When he jogged to his car, Sebastian quickly went to Anne's, unlocking it and dropping into the driver's seat. He started it, buckled up, and impatiently waited for the officer to pull out onto the street.
As he passed Detective Adams, he waved and sped after the officers vehicle.
Ciel opened his eyes in confusion. He saw bright white lights and white nothingness. He blinked a few times, thinking he was dead and was moving on, before individual ceiling tiles came into focus. He turned his head and saw Sebastian asleep beside his bed, or at least pretending to be.
"Sebastian?" Ciel's voice was rough after days of silence, but loud enough that Sebastian's eyes flew open and he was suddenly standing, leaning over Ciel, relief clear on his face.
"How long has it been?"
Sebastian sighed. "Nearly a month. There was substantial damage to your heart from the stab wound, and a plethora of other injuries that took quite some time to heal."
Ciel nodded. "I need to ask you something."
Sebastian nodded.
"Were you crying? At the warehouse I mean."
"I...yes...I was, I thought we were too late."
"You've always told me demons don't really have feelings."
Sebastian offered him a sad smile. "Yes, My Lord, I have told you this. It wasn't entirely true, but it was true enough at the time."
Ciel raised an eyebrow. "It was true a decade ago, but not now?"
"More or less. You were young and had been through so much. The only thing you could really focus on was avenging your parents. I didn't think it was the time to tell you fully what being a demon means. You're grown now, a healthy young man, when you aren't being tortured that is. If you'd like me to tell you, I will."
"I would. You were crying, that goes against everything you'd told me when I was a child. I know I'm still a child in most people's eyes, being only 20, but I've seen a lot in my life, more than I should have had to."
Sebastian nodded. "Yes, you are still young, My Lord. But you should know, when I had said demons have no emotions beyond taking joy from others misery, I lied, that's what we allow ourselves. We're still tied to the humanity we had when we were alive, and because of the suffering we have faced to become what we are, we learn to shove down any feelings that we may still have. We've been hurt too many times, and we are afraid to let anyone in or see that we are not the evil things everyone assumes. If you had died, I would've locked any humanity I had left away with your memory."
Ciel stared at the demon, shocked. "I don't matter that much though...why would you have shut it all down?"
Sebastian leaned in closer, gently placing a kiss on Ciel's forehead. "Because I think I love you too."
So, I like how this came out, and I don't think I'll add to it. Just a little angst and a lil fluff at the end to get back into it. I'm gonna try to start writing again, I don't think I'm at a point where I'll be posting multiple times a week, or even a month, but I'll start trickling some stories out now and then. I'm also trying to write an original story, hoping for book length, but I don't know if I'll get there, but I'm enjoying the plot line for it so far.
I hope you enjoyed this little one shot! I had fun writing it. Thanks for reading! (Please note, I have also published this on AO3 under my username ScatteredAcrossTheGalaxy)