The next couple of days were a daze for Sebastian. He'd wake up, have breakfast, go to work, come home, have dinner, and then go to sleep. At work, he'd started to look up whenever the bell over the door rang, hoping to see his blue-eyed boy once again. He didn't see the boy until about three days after the visit from the collector, though, when their dinner was interrupted once again by a sharp rapping on the door. He watched as his father went to answer it once again, the blue-eyed boy standing on the other side, clothed in a nice travelling coat and a top hat, a walking stick in his hand and a hard frown on his face. The blue-eyed boy didn't say a word as he just let himself inside their small house, practically pushing his father aside. He just sat down at their dinner table, crossing one of his legs over the other.
"You're three months behind on your payments. Personally, I'd much rather your family make it all up this month so you can get back on track." He said bluntly to the little family.
"Well, sir, you have to realize that we didn't know we still had money we owed. We thought you had passed on with your parents." Sebastian's father replied.
"I know that. But I'm alive, so that means you need to make up the months you missed somehow. You all have jobs, I assume?"
"Yes, we do. We all work full-time. Well, save for Sebastian, but you know how they're cracking down on children in the workforce. "
"I do. All right, where do you three work? What kind of money are you making?"
"I'm a carpenter, my wife is a seamstress, and Sebastian helps out in a bakery."
Ciel frowned a bit at that, glancing around at the little family. He recognized the other boy from the bakery he'd sometimes visited with his father, but he paid him no mind. The family wasn't exactly making enough money to have enough put away to pay him back what they owed from the past three months right then and there. From the looks of it, they barely had enough for proper meals, let alone bathing as frequently as they should. He then looked around the little house, biting his lower lip in thought.
"Sell your house. Sell this place and move somewhere smaller. I'm sure this place is worth at least two of the three months." Ciel said after a bit.
"The only homes smaller than this more along the lines of one-room shacks." His father pointed out in shock at the idea.
"So, you're worrying more about your dignity than the money you owe me? Look at yourself, Michaelis. You're filthy, your hair is greasy and your family is nearly going hungry. You're the patriarch of this family, do what's best for it." Ciel snapped back to him with a frown before standing up from the table. "Sell your house or doom your family. It's your choice. Either way, I want the money you owe me within the month."
With that, Ciel stalked back out of the house, letting the door slam shut.
Sebastian watched as his father sighed and sat back down at the table with them easily.
"I guess we have no choice, then. We'll have to pack our things and sell this place and move somewhere smaller and cheaper." He sighed with a small frown to his family.
"At least we don't have that much to pack up." Sebastian piped up after a tiny bit of silence, making his parents both laugh softly.
"That's right. At least it won't take too long." His father replied, ruffling his hair lovingly. He sighed as he looked down at his young son. He knew Ciel had been right. Sebastian was much too thin to be healthy. The last time they'd given the boy a bath, he'd had to avert his eyes from the sight of his son's ribs sticking out, able to see almost every vertebrae in his back. The boy was only ten years old and already totally skin and bones.
Within the next few weeks, they were able to sell the house quickly to a young man just looking for a first home, the family moving out of the old house easily and into a smaller one that was really just a shack in a dark alley in the seedier parts of London. It wasn't really all that much, with no lights or much of an actual floor. There were a couple mattresses on the floor, a larger one in one corner and a smaller one in the other. Other than that, there was a small table and little fire pit to cook over. Otherwise, those were the only things that could possibly make the shabby building a home.
"Well, at least we have each other. We're all happy and healthy and the Lord gave us the strength to persevere." Sebastian's father spoke up after they all got settled in together.
They spent the next few years of their life, making do. On one of the walls of the house were a bunch marks on the wall to chart Sebastian's growth as he grew taller and taller, soon becoming tall enough to see over his mother's head and a few inches taller than his father. His parents were amazed at how tall he'd grown and how much he'd grown up in the span of only a few years.
"Oh, how I wish we weren't debtors. You've become so handsome, we could find a nice wife for you and you could have a couple pretty kids and a better life." His mother would often lament as she brushed his bangs from his face. Sebastian personally hated their situation. He had grown to hate the old collector that would always come around to their tiny little house every month and take the money they'd worked hard to get to scrape together, having to watch his parents always worry and stress about the idea that they might not have met their quota for that month. He hated that there was nothing he could do to help them. All he could really do was earn the money he could at the bakery and bring home the rejected loaves of bread for them to eat.
Sebastian sighed as he walked to the bakery in the morning, clutching his thinning, old wool cloak close to him as he walked through the blowing December wind and snow. With Christmas nearing, he had to work hard so customers warm pastries and baked goods they could head home with.
He huffed and puffed into his cold hands, his knuckles red from the cold air as he walked into the bakery, heading straight back to get ready for the day. He helped to get everything in the building ready for the day, opening it up about an hour or so after the sun had risen and the people of the city were starting to move about on their way to their own jobs. It didn't take too long until the usual housewives made their way inside to buy their daily bread, some of them getting their son or daughter a small treat as well. Everything was normal and was going just as it always did.
"Welcome. What can I help you with today?" Sebastian asked when the bell over the door rang and a puff of cold air traveled inside as the door opened, turning back around from getting more bread ready and cooling behind him. He found himself face to face with the ever-so-familiar pair of big blue eyes.
"I'll have a slice of the chocolate cake." Ciel replied easily, his eyes looking down at the freshly made and sliced chocolate cake with the powdered sugar sprinkled over the top.
"Will you want to eat it here, or will you take it to go?" Sebastian asked curiously as he brought the cake out.
"I'll have it here." Ciel replied easily, watching as the tall, lanky baker boy got the slice ready on a nice plate with a napkin and a fork. He paid for the cake promptly and led the baker boy over to the table he wanted to sit at, letting the taller dark haired man serve him the cake.
Sebastian set the plate and silverware in front of Ciel easily before leaving him to eat his cake easily, going back to his work behind the counter. The bakery was relatively quiet and empty. "Hello, what can I get you?" he asked when another man came in a bit later. It wasn't until the man was right in front of him when Sebastian got a good whiff of the stench of alcohol on his person.
"How much is a slice of the devil's food cake right in front of me?" The man asked, reaching over the counter to take Sebastian's chin between his fingers, admiring his face.
"I beg your pardon?" Sebastian asked in shock when the man suddenly touched him, watching as he pushed his dark hair back behind his ear.
"You heard me. How much for a night with you?" The man replied, holding his gaze.
Sebastian was completely dumbstruck, not having any idea what the man was talking about and not entirely sure how to reply. He remembered his parents telling him that there were some men who'd visit women they weren't married to late at night in special houses and do things that were absolutely and totally sinful if they weren't done with a woman the man was married to. Never once had they ever mentioned that a man could want to do those sinful things with another man.
"Hey, does this look like a brothel to you? Get your food or get out." Ciel piped up with a small frown. "Or should I call the Yard and tell them you're trying to buy someone as your homosexual prostitute?"
The man frowned at the threat and huffed, letting the young baker boy go before turning on his heel and heading out of the bakery, leaving Sebastian staring dumbfounded in his wake.
"Can I get another slice to go?" Ciel asked, breaking the silence once again.
Sebastian blinked out of his shock, looking over at the other man at the table. "You're talking to me?"
"Yes, of course I am. You're the Baker Boy, right? Or do you just stand behind there and work in here for shits and giggles?" Ciel replied a bit impatiently with a small frown.
Sebastian clamped his mouth shut at that and moved to get another slice of the cake ready, packaging it neatly to be taken along with Ciel. He set it in a small box, tying it off with a royal blue ribbon and tying the bow on top neatly.
"Are you just not totally there in the mornings, or did you actually not know he was trying to get you to go to bed with him?" Ciel asked curiously when Sebastian came over with the cake and cleared away his dishes.
"Why would he want me to go to bed with him? I have my own bed." Sebastian asked confusedly as he picked up Ciel's dishes and the dirtied napkin.
Ciel blinked at that, staring up at the other man for a bit before sighing in realization. "Oh, that's right. You're the Michaelis boy, your parents are Catholic, of course they wouldn't tell you about any of that."
"My parents tell me everything." Sebastian replied defensively with a small frown down to Ciel.
"Okay. What's a prostitute, then? And what do I mean by 'go to bed'?" Ciel challenged with a small frown in reply to the baker boy.
Sebastian blinked at the question, his first instinct telling him that Ciel was just making up words at that point.
"Look, he wanted to take you away tonight and pay you to have sex with him, alright?" Ciel explained impatiently, amazed at how sheltered the baker boy really was. "How do you not know that? My collector says your family's been living around the Red Light District for a few years now."
"I thought that was for a husband and wife to have children." Sebastian replied softly and honestly.
"Well, that's what Catholics believe. Most people in England are Protestant these days." Ciel replied with a small sigh. "While it's still bad and illegal to buy male prostitutes or be associated with a homosexual brothel, the law doesn't define it as 'sinful'. Just watch out, Baker Boy, or you might end up getting yourself in trouble."
Sebastian just nodded and watched as the boy with the big blue eyes left the building. He just went back to working all through the rest of the day, taking home the rejected loaves of bread for his family to eat. He clutched them close as he walked home through the snow that seeped into his shoes, leaving his feet cold and wet. He kept to himself as he walked home, never straying from his path until he heard a soft crying from nearby. He frowned when he looked down and saw a box of abandoned kittens on the street, all of them huddled together for warmth. Without a second thought, he removed his wool cloak and settled it around them before picking up the box and carrying it home with the bread. He knew the kittens didn't stand a chance without their mother in the winter, but he could keep them warm in their home overnight and see if he could bring them to the bakery so they could find good homes.
He walked home with the box of mewing little kittens, smiling down at the tiny animals and cooing to them gently like a mother would to her baby. "You're going to be alright, don't worry. I'll keep you safe, little ones."
Sebastian got home shortly after his mother and father, smiling to them happily as he brought in the bread and box of kittens.
"What do you have there, Sebastian?" his mother asked curiously, looking up at her taller son.
"They were all alone in the snow, mother. They would have died." Sebastian replied, showing her the box of kittens all cradled up in his cloak.
His mother smiled and sighed a bit, patting his cheek softly. "Oh, sweetheart. You've always been such a gentle boy." She hummed. "I suppose I don't see anything wrong with keeping them warm for tonight. But, know that we can't keep them. We're barely able to take care of ourselves, we can't afford cats."
Sebastian nodded and smiled a bit easily, setting the box of kittens down near the fire in the center of the house so they could warm up with him and his family while they ate their bread for dinner. After dinner came, Sebastian stroked and played with the kittens while his parents counted the money for the collector who'd be coming over soon enough. They counted it once, then again and again, softly hoping that they'd be able to meet the quota.
Sebastian just kept silent as he snuggled and played with the kittens. He couldn't help but remember what Ciel had said about how some people made money during the night through sex. He knew he was already a sinner and would go to hell for the way he felt about the boy with the blue eyes, so he wondered how bad one more sin could be, especially if it meant helping his family financially to meet their quota.
That night, Sebastian went to bed as he usually did, though feigned sleep until he could hear his parents snoring. When he was sure they were asleep, he snuck out of his bed and checked on the sleeping kittens in their box, being warmed by the fire. He then grabbed his cloak and slipped out of the house, only having to wander down a few alleyways until he found the old, run down looking house he'd been looking for. He only had to tell the keeper that he was there to earn money rather spend it and soon enough he found himself being taken by the hand by a taller, middle aged man and lead to an empty room with a bed nicer than one he'd ever slept on before.
The man shut the door behind him and started to kiss him on the mouth like he'd seen his parents do a few times. He just imagined it was the Blue Eyed Boy he was spending the night with, and that made everything better. When the man had him perfectly nude, he turned him over and he felt the other's fingers push into him, the man telling him he was preparing him as it was his first time. The rest of the night went by relatively quickly, both of them lasting only a few minutes after the man had entered him. When they were both finished and panting heavily, the man pulled out of him and collapsed on the bed next to him.
"You're a cute kid. I'll pay you extra to spend the rest of the night in my arms." The man said to him, reaching over to stroke Sebastian's hair.
Sebastian blinked at that and nodded, liking the feeling of the fingers in his hair. It reminded him of the way his mother had always stroked his hair. He let the older man hold him close and stroke his hair, listening to him talk to him until they both fell asleep. When it was about an hour before daybreak, he and the man both left the building, both of them heading to their homes. Sebastian smiled a bit as he carried the money he'd earned home, deciding that if he could help his parents feel more at ease financially, then it was well worth walking with a limp.