Disclaimer: I don't own black butler or its respective characters. I own April, though, my OC. Chapter Two: His Butler,an Enigma
The tall butler that had pinned April down now leaned over her. He removed the silverware from her pant-leg, and all April saw was the glint of his teeth. This man frightened her. He shouldn't have survived her magic blast, no one should, in fact that he was still alive was enough to convince her that he was no normal man. She flinched as his hand accidentally brushed her leg.
"My apologies. I didn't realize you were so jumpy." He cooed at her softly, as though he were speaking to an injured animal.
" More like an injured animal he wanted to eat" April thought to herself. There was something predatory in the way this man moved and spoke. She didn't like it, and yet somehow, she did. His velvety smooth voice was deep and refined, like a cougar's purr.
"Are you hurt at all?" His rich tenor voice made her uncomfortably attracted to him.
"No. I'm okay." She responded numbly.
"May I ask why you haven't tried your magic on the silverware?" he asked softly.
She blushed, hoping he couldn't see. "'Cause ya scared me. I didn't think ya were armed."
He chuckled. It was somehow chilling and relaxing to hear at the same time. "I see. You panicked, didn't you?"
"Yeah." She looked down,shamefaced.
"Not to worry, my dear. You can learn to overcome that." He offered her is elbow. She stared at it blankly, not entirely sure why it was there. "Place your hand in the crook of my arm. Hasn't any man ever done this for you?"
"No. They usually just wanna pull me around by the hair." April said without a hint of joking. She placed her small hand in the crook of his arm and found the fabric of his jacket to be surprisingly soft. He lifted her to her feet and led her down the hall. She kept looking away from him, not that she could see anything, but she could tell he was probably quite handsome.
Finally, they reached the room Sebastian had been leading her to. He opened the door and walked in, getting a match out to light the small kerosene lamp. The warm, golden light filled the small room like water filling a glass. April gasped audibly. It was a simple room, tiny, but big enough. There was a bed on one side and a huge dresser on the other.
"What is it?" the butler asked.
"I never seen such a big dresser before." April blurted out, much to her embarrassment. She had just noticed how handsome the man before her was. He was tall and thin, dressed in black from head-to-foot, and had shiny black hair. His features were sharp and refined, nearly perfect in every way. His deep merlot-colored eyes seemed to bore straight into her, as though she wore nothing at all. She blushed deeply.
"It's an armoire, actually," he corrected her with a chuckle. "I take it you've never had one before?"
"No sir. Only ever owned two dresses my whole life. And this." She gestured to her black outfit.
The man pursed his thin lips together. "I see, Well, not to worry! This will be full soon enough. A pretty thing such as yourself should wear equally nice things."
"Thanks, but you don't have to-"
"Nonsense! It pains me to see that you've suffered."
"Ya can't mean that. We just met."
"Indeed we have. And yet I find myself feeling almost ill at what little you've told me. A lady shouldn't be treated so dreadfully." the man's calm voice took on a dramatic air , and April couldn't help but giggle a little.
"You must be the strangest man I ever met," she said.
"Thank you. I pride myself on being as interesting as possible. If I weren't interesting, what kind of man would I be?" he lifted his hands in surrender. "Now, April, I must ask you make yourself comfortable and get some sleep. Tomorrow, I begin training you. There's always work in need of doing around here."
April walked into the room and sat on the surprisingly soft bed. The butler turned and had made it to the doorway before April thought to ask him his name. "Wait! What's your name, mister?"
The man smiled, his eyes gleaming. "I am Sebastian Michaelis,and I am simply one hell of a butler."
April felt chills run up her spine. She watched as the inky blackness of the hallway swallowed Sebastian up, as if embracing an old friend. The door closed and she was alone. She lay back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling."What have you gotten yourself into?" she asked herself. Her master was going to come after her, probably furious. Buffalo Bill Cody always got what was his, and he never took prisoners when it came to fighting. She hoped that the strange man in black could handle the repercussions of his decision to hire her.
"Sebastian. What a weird name." She thought before sleep stole her away.
The next day April was greeted by a soothing tenor voice cooing her name, followed by an impatient scolding, and finally, she felt something heavy thrown on her and she felt smothered. April jumped up with a start, her face covered by heavy cloth. "What the-?!"
Sebastian stood over her, mildly annoyed. "Wake up, April. You're running late already."
"Wah- oh yeah." She examined the cloth he had thrown at her. It was actually a navy blue maid uniform, and next to it lay a white corset and slip. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the corset.
Sebastian's face faintly registered shock for half a moment before returning to its usual stoic expression. "That is a corset. You wear it under your dress and over your slip."
April stood and picked up the strange device. It looked like a lacey torture tool. She couldn't make heads or tails of all the ribbon and silk.
"Have you really never seen a corset before?" Sebastian had an annoyed edge to his voice.
Ashamed, April looked away from him and replied, "I ain't never seen one before, no."
Sebastian sighed loudly. "Put the slip on and I will help you. If the other maid were available, I would have her do it, but as she is doing her chores, I can't very well bother her."
April did as she was told, a little fearful and expecting to get slapped for being so white silk slip felt cool against her skin, and it was so soft. She had never worn such a delicate thing before. She stepped out from behind her changing screen to find Sebastian standing there, corset opened and at the ready. She approached him, hands raised as though he were going to hit her. He looked a little sad at the meekness of her posture.
"Stand up straight and hold your arms out to the sides," he instructed, his voice taking on a gentle silkiness. "Do calm down, I won't hit you."
April nodded and allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. It was a short-lived reprieve, however, as Sebastian wrapped the corset around her waist. She was keenly aware of his large, warm hands and towering stature. She could feel his warm breath on the back of her head briefly. Her heart hammered mercilessly against her ribs and her cheeks grew heated.
"April, calm yourself. I won't hurt you." Sebastian nearly whispered. "Now, hold your breath."
April held her breath and Sebastian cinched the corset tightly around her waist, forcing the remaining air from her lungs. Once her lungs were empty, he pulled the corset tighter and tied it off. "There. All done. Adjust yourself until you're comfortable and put your uniform on. I have much to teach you."
April situated her small breasts in the corset in such a way as to allow as much airflow as possible to her lungs. She had never been so uncomfortable in all her life. Her lungs felt like they were pressed into her ribs and she was afraid her stomach had slid down a couple inches. She took the maid's uniform and slipped it over her head with some struggle. She looked in the small mirror above her wash-basin to see her hair was a bushy mess. She looked untied a long red ribbon from her left ankle. She had always had this ribbon. It had been her mother's, and she kept it on her as a good luck charm whenever she was sent on dangerous missions. Today, this good luck charm was to serve as a way to keep her hair neat. She cut it in half with a small spell and tied some of her shorter hair up on the side. She did the same on the other side with the other half of the ribbon. She left her bangs and a strand of hair sticking out up front and the rest of her shoulder-blade- length hair hanging down her back. She buttoned all the buttons she could find on the dress and pulled on some stockings with a little difficulty. She observed herself in the mirror. She looked like a maid. A real honest-to-goodness maid. She sort of liked it.
An angry rap sounded sharply at the door. "Are you finished?!"Sebastian yelled.
"I-I think so!" April called back. Sebastian came in swiftly, soundlessly. He looked her over.
"You buttoned your buttons crookedly. You need to put on your boots and apron. Other than that, you look acceptable. Just know that in the future, you will be expected to be up and dressed with the rest of us,understand?" he began unbuttoning her top and rebuttoning it blushed, feeling like a child who had just been scolded by her father. "I'll take you to meet the young lord first. You are to be polite, curtsy, and don't speak unless spoken to."
"Curtsy?" April asked cautiously.
"Oh for heaven's sake, April Forger. Were you raised in a barn?" Sebastian snapped.
April looked away. "Yeah. Kinda. I grew up in Texas on a farm for awhile."
Sebastian's expression softened. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I quite forgot your situation. I'll try to be more understanding in the future. A curtsy is a sort of bow, but women do it."
April nodded her understanding. "Show me how to do it?"
"Of course," Sebastian stopped walking and demonstrated a perfectly polished curtsy. "You see, you simply put one ankle behind the other and bend your knees. Be sure to hold your skirt outwards."
April copied him exactly, gracefully as she could muster. Sebastian seemed pleased. She smiled back at him, glad she could satisfy him. She blushed when she realized what else "satisfying him" could mean. He seemed to read her mind when he said "you needn't be so shy about your attraction to me. I'm quite used to women fawning over me."
April blushed furiously. She couldn't believe how smug the man was! Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find the words to a proper smirked, glad to have stumped her.
"Ah!" Sebastian exclaimed. "Here's the study. The young master is just inside. Enter and remember to curtsy." He held the door open for her and she walked inside, unsure of what to expect.
Ciel Phantomhive was never really what anyone expected, but April was taken aback not by his youth, but by his powerful aura. The room seemed to be so small, due to the fact that he inhabited it. He sat at his desk, hands steepled, eyes closed contemplatively. April had expected a young boy easy to steal from, not this cunning young man full of determination. While Sebastian's feel was distinctly indifferent and inhuman, Ciel's feel was fiery and resolute. Somehow the two suited each other, though April wasn't sure how. She curtsied as quickly as she could.
"April Forger, I presume?" Ciel drawled almost lazily.
"Yessir." April nodded.
"You may rise. Call me "my lord" or "master" in the future, alright?" Ciel relaxed his hands and sat back. April stood up straight.
"Yes, my lord." she responded, a little unsure of herself.
"Now then. Why were you trying to steal from me last night?"
April hesitated. She was certain she would be punished. "My boss sent me to steal that stuff."
"I understand that. But why?"
"I dunno for sure. Somethin' about building a new venue for his show or somethin'."
Ciel's ears perked up at that. "Who is your boss?"
April knew she would get punished for this later, but she felt like she could trust Ciel. "Buffalo Bill Cody."
Ciel's expression changed from one of boredom to one of piqued interest and April could practically see the gears turning in his brain. "Why would he have you steal instead of coming to me directly? I could have sold him that land."
"I don't rightly know, my lord, but I reckon it has to do with the fact that he owes someone alot of money." April tried her best to be assertive without being rude.
Ciel looked amused, a small smile playing across his lips. "I see. This may be worth investigating. For the time being, however, I think it prudent for you to focus on what Sebastian teaches you. He assures me that you are an interesting addition to our staff."
April smiled as nicely as she could muster, pushing down her doubts about how boyish this child was. "Yes, my lord. I'm gonna do my best."
"I would expect nothing less, April Forger. Welcome to the Phantomhive estate." Ciel smirked knowingly as April left the room. April wondered how a 13-year-old boy was more mature than herself.