IM GONNA COSPLAY FINNY AT SDCC AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Alois had never babysat. Not since Luka was alive anyway, and that was well over a century ago. Rafael didn't cry much, and he wasn't loud, but Alois still didn't know what to do.
"Does he take solids? Of course he does, he's 2. But... is he allergic to anything? Hannah, do we have access to medical records? Oh god, is he vegan?"
Hannah smiled warmly at Rafael, and the boy giggled. "Just give him some spaghetti. Cut his grapes in half. It's simple." She told Alois.
"How come I had to take the kid? I hate kids. Is he potty trained? I wonder if Rebecca was still breastfeeding him. Dear lord, what if- dammit, Ciel, this is not the time!" He phone vibrates mid sentence, and he picked it up to reveal Ciel's name on the caller ID. "Hannah, can you feed him?" She nodded and Alois answered the call, walking into the hallway. He had kept his major over the years, his one remaining servant doing him better than he had anticipated. Once he got out of the bratty funk Claude had sent him into, he'd learnt that there was more to life than revenge.
"Yes?" He grumbled into the phone. A deep breath came in through the line, and Ciel started speaking, his voice heavy.
"I... called some family in Norwich. My- erm, great grandson. So change of plans, I'll come over to your... manor, I assume? Yes? Alright. I'll be there within the hour. Oh, fuck, I can already tell I'm going to regret this-" the line went dead. Alois frowned at his phone. He knew it was serious when Ciel used the f-word, which he had claimed to be too mature to use.
•••
The doorbell rang and Hannah opened it to Ciel and Sebastian, who immediately walked inside with an important air.
"Where's Alois?" Ciel asked Hannah, out of breath.
"In the foyer. Shall I show you to him?" Ciel nodded.
"Sebastian, make arrangements. Tell Finny to watch the child while Alois and I talk." Sebastian disappeared, Finnian standing in his place, and Hannah hurriedly showed Ciel to the foyer, where Alois sat reading a book.
Ciel frowned. "Bloody hell are you wearing?"
"What I usually wear when I'm not at school!" Alois said defensively, looking down at his short shorts and nirvana shirt.
Ciel shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We need to leave for Norwich immediately. I convinced my family to take in Rafael, but they've requested we eat dinner with them, which is in two hours. We're exactly two hours away, and- do you understand?" Alois nodded frantically, running to grab his boots from his room.
"I'm ready!" He said triumphantly, boots on his feet, a diaper bag slung over his shoulder.
Ciel pointed at the bag. "When'd you have to time to-"
"I don't like to talk about it!" Alois said cheerily, skipping towards Finnian and Hannah, who were playing patty cake with the boy.
"Why can't we keep 'im, master?" Finny asked, turning his big, childlike blue eyes on Ciel.
"He's a child, Finny, not a dog. You remember what happened to Pluto, don't you?" Finny nodded solemnly. "Besides, we'll still see him, hopefully. He just won't live with us. Now, are you accompanying us to diner at the Dubois household?" (A/N Dubois is pronounced "doo-bwahh")
Finny nodded ecstatically. Ciel looked at Rafael, surprised he wasn't more stressed about the situation.
"We have car seat in the limo. Let's go."
•••
Two hours and a dirty diaper later, they'd made it to Norwich. Rafael had fallen asleep an hour prior, and Sebastian carefully tugged him out of the seat. Rafael's head bobbed a little once on Sebastian's shoulder, but he otherwise stayed asleep as Finny fussed over how adorable he was.
Sebastian noticed Ciel's anxious demeanor and winked at him. "Smile, my lord," he said. "Or they'll think they've won." Ciel nodded, a small grin gracing his features. Sebastian loved that he smiled as much as he did in recent times. It meant he'd done his job well.
Ciel poised himself in front of the grand oak door. His family had done well for themselves over the years. He knocked, and not a minute later, the door opened to a young man in a suit, dark blond hair gelled neatly.
"You must be the one who called Vivian earlier! Welcome, welcome. This is... a lot of people." The man said to Sebastian. "This must be your family!" Ciel refrained from giving off a sarcastic remark and smiled politely. Obviously Vivian hadn't told the man that Sebastian wasn't the one who called, or that it was his ancestor who'd his wife had spoken too.
"It was I who called, actually. We have... quite a lot to go over." The man's infectious smile vanished when he turned to look at Ciel. His eyes darted behind him just barely fast enough for Ciel to catch before an uneasy smile once again showed itself.
"I- I see. Come in, come in!" Ciel nodded in thanks and stepped into the household. It was the size of an average family townhouse, not nearly as big as Ciel's previous manner. The front room was a living room with stairs leading to a second floor.
Ciel felt a light shove on his shoulder, and he looked to where Alois was pointing. An oil painting was on the wall, Sebastians name in the lower right corner. Ciel frowned. "I thought they sold that." He whispered.
"Do what?" The man asked.
"I thought they told you that... I have a nut allergy." Ciel lied. Alois stifled a laugh.
"Your lying sucks a lot more than it used to."
"Shut up, Alois, no one asked for your opinion." Ciel grumbled.
"Speaking of nut allergies, I was kind of looking forward to playing around with that Toni girl. Maybe get in a little flirting with that Joshua guy." Ciel rolled his eyes, frowning when he saw their host—Elias?—stifle a snort.
"Just shut up and try not to be weird during dinner."
Finally, after a few eternities, they reached the dining room. A curvy woman with brown hair pulled back in a bun was putting a serving platter on the table. She smiled tightly at Ciel when the group walked in.
"No, I haven't told him." She said as soon as everyone was sat and introductions were over.
"Told who what? Does the little guy have some medical-"
"No." Ciel cut him off. "I saw the way you looked at me and then at that painting back there?" The guy winced. "That was me. This guy-" Ciel pointed at Sebastian. "-he painted it."
"That's imp-"
"It isn't and you know it. I'm fully aware of the bedtime story that's been passed down in our family. My late wife Lizzie started it with our children, Vincent, Rosalee, and James. Any more proof?"
"What's my name?" Ciel frowned. There were too many to remember, and usually he didn't hear about his descendants until they were dead.
"Either Elias or Philip."
"Elias was my fathers name. My name is Antonio. Where'd you get Philip from? He's been dead for fifty years, he's buried in Massachusetts." Ciel threw his hands up in the air.
"How am I supposed to know that when I only hear about any of you once you've died?" Alois cleared his threat and they finally took notice that they weren't alone.
"What's for dinner?" Finny asked, breaking the ice. Vivian smiled.
"Steak and potatoes!"
Alois grinned wolfishly. "My favorite!"
•••
Lizzie looked at her eldest son. Hair dark as midnight just like his fathers, eyes a bright green like hers. Other than his eyes, he was his father made over.
She'd never had a favorite child, but she did favor him over the others when it came to his hobbies. He was artistically inclined, helping his father out with police sketches and such.
"Mum, I'm too old for bedtime stories." Her now ten year old son whined, snuggling himself further into the sheets. Lizzie giggled, hissing him on the forehead.
"Alright, Vincent. If you need your medicine, call Meyrin, alright dear?"
"Yes mum. G'night." She smiled at him.
"Goodnight."
She moved into the next room.
"Rosa-"
"Mummy! There's a monster under my bed and I think it's trying to kill me!" Lizzie checked under the bed, telling Rosalee that there was nothing there. Rosalee's blue eyes were filled with tears, her dark blond hair falling into her face. She was her mothers child.
"Besides," she reminded her daughter. "Your father and his butler will always keep you out of harms way, remember? Now, are we having a bedtime story or not?" Rosalee nodded ecstatically. Lizzie smiled. At least one of her children still appreciated her stories.
"Once upon a time…" she told Rosalee about the story of Ciel and Alois, a favorite of all three of her children. By the time she was done, Rosalee's eyes where almost completely closed. Lizzie kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, love."
Lizzie walked to the nursery next, opening the door a crack. Her youngest lay snoring obnoxiously loud for a one year old, his brown eyes shut. His black hair was finally growing in, and thick. She ran her fingers through it, dipping in to kiss his forehead.
She left, yawning to herself and checking the clock. Entering her and Ciel's shared room, she sat on her side of the empty bed. Ciel waltzed out of the bathroom, hair damp.
"You're home early," Lizzie noted.
"Yes, I… I'm taking bit of a vacation, actually. A week. Thought I'd spend some time with you." Lizzie smiled a secret smile to herself, blushing a bit. After all these years, he still garnered that reaction from her.
"Sounds perfect."