2013 Wilma: How did I miss the fact that Madame Red's name is Angelina!? It's way too similar to Angeline! God I need to pay more attention!
2022 Wilma: We've never been the most observant.
Ciel woke in a cold sweat. Something is happening, he thought. He quietly climbed out of bed, making his way out of the bedroom and into the corridor. His blasted estate was huge, even walking to the lookout over the entry took far too long. As he scanned the front door for signs of intrusion, Angeline passed next to him, descending the stairs.
"Angeline? What are you doing?" Ciel questioned.
She ignored him, her step steady. Did she hear me?
Suddenly, Angeline started singing. Her soprano voice pierced through the silent manor. "Build it up with iron and steel, my dear angel."
As she sang, the front door swung open with unnatural force, especially because it appeared to open on its own. Wind howled into the foyer, whipping Angeline's hair as it flew around her face. Ash stood outside the door, wings spread, arms wide, waiting for Angeline to come to him.
Ciel's heart dropped, dread pooling into his gut. "Sebastian!" He yelled. "Get Angeline before Ash does!"
Only a moment passed before Ciel's orders were met. Sebastian appeared, grabbing Angeline by the waist and pulling her away. Her gaze stared at nothing, void of expression. Sebastian set her down on a step before flying toward Ash. His eyes gleamed with fury, his distaste for the angel morphing into raw hatred.
He couldn't claim to know Angeline- a few errands and a chess game hardly counted as quality time- but he did know that she didn't deserve what Ash was doing to her. She deserved the simple, charmed life that used to wait for her, not the hysteria that her life had become because of him.
Armed with cutlery, Sebastian took the first swing at Ash. Angeline stood from her seat and wandered back to the angel.
"Build it up with iron and steel," She sang softly.
"Sebastian, the song!" Ciel exclaimed, his voice fearful. He watched as her trance swept her toward the angel as if her fear of him had never existed. "It's as if she's possessed!"
Sebastian's gaze flicked toward Angeline. He knew what was wrong with her and began to sing. "Iron and steel will bend and-"
"No!" Ash roared, interrupting Sebastian's singing. "She will not be taken from me again!"
Sebastian flung an assortment of knives and forks at the angel. They buried into his wings, pinning him to the wall and Ash struggled to free himself to no avail. With each movement, more blood poured out of his wings and onto the floor.
"Ash," Angeline whispered, walking toward the enraged angel. "Build it up with-"
Sebastian swooped by, grabbing Angeline effortlessly, cutting off her singing. He gathered her into his arms and ushered her away from Ash. As he looked at the vulnerable limp girl, he started to sing again. "Iron and steel will bend and bow, bend and bow, bend and bow. Iron and steel will bend and bow, my fair lady."
His voice echoed through the manor and he watched as Angeline's eyes cleared. She blinked and her gaze focused on him. "Sebastian?" She asked.
"Welcome back," He said.
Angeline knew something bad had happened, but she didn't want to worry about it right now. She felt safe with him and she wanted to bask in the calm she felt knowing he had protected her. She sighed, her eyes closing, her fingers clutching the lapel of his tailcoat.
Sebastian's eyes rested intently on Angeline's face. Were her eyes open, the intensity of his gaze would have surely frightened her. When he was sure she wouldn't faint, he looked toward the angel. He wanted to see Ash suffer in watching his own defeat, wanted him to see Sebastian and Angeline in the middle of the floor with her cradled in his arms. The feeling was strange, unlike anything he'd felt before, even in Greece.
Angeline's eyes opened again to look at Sebastian. "What happened?" She asked.
"An angel called you." Came Sebastian's simple reply. Angeline glanced in Ash's direction.
"You!" She exclaimed, outraged. "You put me to sleep, didn't you? You called to me!"
"Angeline, you were meant for me!" Ash insisted in lieu of an answer.
Angeline's eyes closed as she tried to settle her frustration and let out a shaky breath. "Sebastian, put me down," She demanded.
"My lady, I'm not sure that's a good-"
"Put me down, now!"
Sebastian sighed in defeat and set Angeline down. She walked closer to Ash, her gaze full of hatred and anger. "Why won't you leave me alone?" She spat, her voice dripping with venom. Ash appeared to be stuck to the wall, and his wings were bleeding. She stepped closer for a better look. Are those butter knives? And forks?
Ash reached out for Angeline, but Sebastian pulled her back. "Careful now," he said. "Don't get too close." The Phantomhive butler swept Angeline behind him with an arm before he pulled the cutlery from the angel's wings one by one. Ash hurled himself into the air, struggling with his injured wings.
Bang!
Angeline's body recoiled at the loud sound, her eyes scanning to see where it had come from to find that Ash held a pistol on his hands. Where did that come from? She wondered, the thought frantic.
"Angeline!" Ciel shouted. No, I have orders from Victoria to keep her safe!
"Dead or alive," Ash said, crazed and breathless, "She will be mine!"
Angeline flinched further into herself with each shot the angel fired, her heart pounding against her chest as she waited for one of the bullets to pierce her. Ash stopped shooting when he ran out of bullets, his frenzied eyes scanning the room to see if he hit anyone.
Sebastian sighed and set six bullets down onto a nearby table. He launched himself up to Ash's height and grabbed his collar, pulling him down. He brought Ash's face close to his, a mock smile plastered on his face, and Ash's eyes narrowed with distaste. "Ash, you should know to be gentle with a human. They're such fragile creatures."
"You've won this time, but I'll be back for her," Ash muttered darkly, taking his leave.
The manor lapsed into silence, the only sound heard that of Ciel and Angeline's panicked breathing. Angeline looked at the young Earl, who's face had lost its color. "Are you alright?" She asked. He's only a child, she thought.
Ciel gulped, his breath still coming heavy. He looked toward Angeline, surprise glinting behind the fear in his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine," He answered.
Angeline looked toward Sebastian, his voice running through her head. Humans are such fragile creatures. She knew Sebastian was strange, and though she had suspected it before she knew now he wasn't human. Only a being of the supernatural could catch six bullets from the air and take down someone as powerful as Ash with the household silver.
What has my life become? She thought.
In the aftermath of the chaos, Angeline began to feel sick. Ash was gone for the time being, likely to show himself another day, and in the silence Angeline's thoughts turned to what she could have done for God to deal her this hand.
She closed her eyes against the sickness turning in her stomach, her focus turning toward a new effort not to heave. She would never recover from the embarrassment if she soiled the floor of the estate with her sickness.
Her breaths became quick and she struggled to keep them under control, her head beginning to spin as her stomach turned again. She groaned, unable to hide her discomfort, and blinked rapidly to attempt to clear the fog.
Sebastian swore as Angeline's eyes rolled back and her legs buckled underneath her. He was at her side in an instant, catching her and holding her to him before she went down to the floor. He eased her down to the floor, kneeling on one knee so he could support her. Her back rested on his propped thigh and he held her limp head up with his hand. He glanced at her chest to make sure she was breathing and when he saw the steady rise and fall of her lungs he focused on her open eyes, waiting for them come into focus.
"What happened?" Ciel demanded.
"She fainted," Sebastian said. "It was only a matter of time, I suppose, until this happened. I'm sure she's been in a perpetual state of shock since the earthquake and it must be catching up to her."
A small sound escaped Angeline and her eyes blinked rapidly as she woke, her vision clearing and the black fading slowly from the center of her vision to the edges. "Sebastian," her soft voice sounded as she took in the sight of him, her thoughts still catching up to her.
Ciel sighed, resting his forearms on the banister and hanging his head. Several moments passed before he spoke again. "Take care of her," he instructed. "I'm going back to bed."
"Yes, master."
Sebastian watched as Ciel disappeared toward his bedroom then looked back to Angeline. She lifted herself to sit on her own and braced hand on the floor to stand.
Sebastian's hand moved to her shoulder and pushed down, preventing her from moving further. "You shouldn't stand," he said, stopping her and hoisting Angeline into his arms. She began to protest, but found herself without energy for anything as he carried her to her room. She fisted and flexed her fingers, her hands and feet tingling after her spell.
Sebastian set her on her bed, murmuring "forgive me," as he unlaced her dress and stripped her to her chemise. She couldn't bring herself to protest, too exhausted to feel uncomfortable. She shifted to settle into bed, her eyes closing as Sebastian settled the quilt over her.
"Thank you," she mumbled as her thoughts began to fade again, sleep overtaking her.
Sebastian blinked in surprise, shocked she was still able to express her thanks considering how tired she must be. He settled into a chair near her bed, ears tuned to listen to his surroundings should Ash reappear while she was so vulnerable. His eyes focused on the nearest place that could be used to enter the manor- the window.
Well into the night Sebastian was still keeping watch as Angeline slept, never losing focus on the surroundings.
Suddenly, he heard Angeline let out a fearful cry and his eyes snapped toward her. The bedding rustled as she tossed and turned and he leapt from his seat, swiftly crossing the room. He leaned over her bed, reaching out to shake her awake just as her eyes flew open and she shot upward in bed, her hand settling over her heart. Sebastian's head jerked back several inches to avoid their faces colliding as his eyes widened, surprised. Angeline's panicked gaze flicked to meet his eyes, her breathing heavy. He's so close, she mused, looking into the dull crimson eyes several inches from hers.
"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked.
Angeline looked down to where his hand had stilled on its way to wake her. "Bad dream," She muttered. Her eyes watered and she tried to blink them away, but her body no longer allowed her to ignore her misery. Tears slipped down her face and she slumped back, her head tilted upward as it rested against the headboard.
Sebastian's thumb wiped at her cheek, leaving it burning in its wake. Angeline shook her head softly. Her thoughts an feelings were so muddled, her heart heavy at the same time it pounded from his touch.
"It's been a... long night," Sebastian began. "You should rest."
Angeline couldn't have agreed more, but her body was alive with panic and something else she couldn't place. "I can't," She said. "Ash might come back for me."
Sebastian gently wrapped his hand around Angeline's bicep, the touch soothing her as he looked at her sincerely. "I can assure you you're safe here, Angeline. You'd be with Ash right now if you were in danger of him."
She shook her head. "Sebastian, I can't," she said again, her voice breaking.
"I'll stay here, if you wish."
Angeline hesitated, a light pink dusting her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. "I... suppose that would help me sleep better..."
"Very well," Sebastian replied, returning to his abandoned seat. He listened to her breathing for half an hour, knowing she was asleep when it steadied and slowed to a consistent pace. When the sky began to turn grey with the first light of morning, he quietly stood from his seat and started for the door, passing by Angeline before he left to start his duties for the day. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, revealing her peaceful expression.
An overwhelming protective feeling washed over him as he realized she should look like that when she was awake, not just in her sleep. Because of Ash's sick wishes he had an innocent girl living in constant fear. He shook his head. She's only a simple human, he insisted, trying to convince himself he was acting on Ciel's orders.
2013 Wilma: ...Fluff already? ...Fuck. I like fluff too much.
2022 Wilma: ...Where? Do you even know what fluff is? Trust me, we read WAY more romance novels now and this is nothing. And I even added a little more between Angeline and Sebastian to spice it up.