The guest list was short but the festivities were lavish. Music carried to every corner of the house, laughter echoed through every chamber. Such was the standard for a gala hosted by the Phantomhives. Rachel looked down from the landing that led to the second floor with a smile. Her sister was gushing over another woman's red dress, who was in turn making over Angelina's. Lady Gilbert was speaking with Mr. Spears of the orphanage while her daughter, Lady Elizabeth chased Mey-Rin trying to put bows in her air.
Vincent came to her side. "How are you feeling?"
"Never better."
Her words brought relief to his eyes at first, but it was fast to fade. She followed his gaze down to the main hall that they had turned into a ballroom. Ciel was dressed in the finest of midnight blue cloths, and was scowling as Sebastian fussed with the knot at the back of his head. Clearly he had tried to tie his newly tailored eyepatch on by himself. Rachel's smile widened.
"They're sweet."
"Darling, you always want to forget what he is." Vincent fingered his gloves, which never left his hands unless he was in her company alone.
"I do no such thing but Ciel has lived a hard life, he needs someone like Sebastian to look after him for as long as Sebastian is around." She thought of what it would mean when their demon butler was no longer around, and looked away from her husband. It wouldn't do to think of that now. They were gathered to celebrate adopting Ciel, not mourn the loss she would have to face one day. She shook off her sadness and held out her hand. Vincent took it, and they descended the stairs to join the ball.
"You can't possibly be serious."
"I am."
"You can't expect me to do this in front of all these people, and with you no less."
"I rather do."
"You're intolerable."
Sebastian titled his head and smiled, hand stubbornly extended. He knelt so that he was on eye level with Ciel. "If you will forgive my boldness, you are no picnic, my lord."
"Then make someone else dance with you," Ciel retorted, not knowing why the remark angered him. It was because it was disrespectful, surely.
"You mistake my meaning, I enjoy your crass nature. It is refreshing. Now, will you afford me a dance?"
Ciel groaned and slid his leather gloved hand into Sebastian's. The damned butler would be pestering him all night if he didn't get it over with. He tried to remember what he had learned as they began a dance but it was hard with all these people watching. His foot narrowly missed Sebastian's as they turned, and he felt as though the eyes of everyone in the room were burning into him. When he looked, however, no one except his parents seemed to be focused on them. Vincent wore an oddly hard look as he stared at Sebastian, and Rachel smiled at Ciel when their eyes met.
He was about to step on Sebastian's foot when his feet left the ground entirely. He started to panic that he had fallen but his feet settled once more, and began moving on their own. Oh, by the name of Queen and country, this was degrading. He found that his feet were on top of Sebastian's and the butler was dancing for both of them.
"This is foul," he said, craning his neck to look up at Sebastian.
"On the contrary, I find this adorable. You are ever so tiny, my lord."
"Call me tiny again and I'll have you removed from this household faster than you can put that self-satisfied smirk on your face."
Sebastian laughed, a genuine, melodious sound. "Spoken like a true noble."
Ciel rolled his eyes and observed the room. He felt he should tread lightly, as he knew there was something amiss with the butler, but wasn't it expected of him to get along as well as possible with the staff of his new home? As long as Sebastian didn't think he could cop that smart mouth just because Ciel wasn't born of nobility, there was no reason they couldn't get along. Well, there was the small drawback that Sebastian sometimes looked at him the same way a wolf observed a lamb, but he would simply stay on his guard.
"May I cut in?"
He looked up and found Mr. Spears giving Sebastian a look that said his question was not a question at all. The butler asked, "You wish to dance with my master?"
"I wish to borrow you for a discussion in private, if I may."
Ciel watched the discussion with interest. He knew enough of deception to detect tension from the polite words. Sebastian excused himself with a bow and walked with Mr. Spears to the corridor that led to the servants' quarters. Both of their postures were more rigid than usual which was remarkable especially for William Spears, who Ciel had known since the orphanage was taken under new management two years ago.
He pretended to take interest in the assortment of snacks until the door closed then hastily made his way around the edge of the room. He slipped into the corridor and followed their voices to the kitchen. No one had seen him leave, he had made sure of that, lest they follow him and catch him eavesdropping. He looked around the entryway to the kitchen with his good eye.
William had his finger in Sebastian's face, saying in a harsh whisper, "I've seen too many of your kind to not recognize the way you look at him."
"My kind?" Sebastian looked interested, and unless it was Ciel's imagination, his eyes were a brighter red than they had been moments ago.
"You're sick, feeling for children as you do."
There was a long silence, then Sebastian laughed. The tension in his body seemed to release and he clapped William on the shoulder. The vile accusations seemed not to bother him. Ciel's stomach clenched when he realized they must have been talking about him. Then he saw William's fingers close around a knife on the counter and before he could shout a warning, he lashed out at Sebastian. The butler's head whipped to the side, toward Ciel.
In plain view of Sebastian now, Ciel flattened his back to the wall beside the entryway, trying to quiet his heavy breathing. No one came out of the kitchen so maybe Sebastian had not seen him. He had every right to know what a servant in his household was doing, he would likely be in no trouble if he was caught, but he was sure their confrontation would come to a halt if they knew he was there. He heard a long silence, then a gasp. It sounded like William.
"Who...what are you?" William demanded.
When Sebastian spoke next, his voice was deeper. "I am simply a devil of a butler."
"I'll be watching you."
"By all means."
Footsteps drew nearer to the hall and Ciel hastened to make it to the door. He closed it behind him as quick as he could and rejoined the party, trying to look as though he'd never left. Mr. Spears had just assaulted Sebastian after accusing him of being a pedophile. Ciel observed William, who was composed if not for the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. He made his way through the crowd to his date and said something to her in what seemed to be a nonchalant way. His date narrowed her eyes though, as if she saw right through it. Something about her was familiar...no matter. Ciel dismissed it and made for the door he had just exited. There had been a spray of blood when William lashed out with the knife.
He found Sebastian in the kitchen cleaning the knife in question. His back was to Ciel, but turned around when Ciel said, "Sit."
"As you wish."
Ciel dampened a clean piece of cloth and stood in front of the butler. His hand wavered for a moment before he pushed away the unruly locks of hair that hung in Sebastian's face. "Your face."
"Is something the matter with it?"
"No, that's just the thing...there is not a single scratch."
Sebastian looked as though he was going to ask how Ciel knew this, but he only smiled. He knew Ciel had been listening in. Ciel could tell that much from his expression of amusement and a bit of exasperation. He stared in open shock as he ran the cloth over Sebastian's cheek. There was hardly an indication that the butler's skin was not made of fine porcelain, never mind a trace of a wound.
"Your leg is shaking," Sebastian commented as he noticed the fine tremor in Ciel's knee.
"It does that if I put my weight on it for too long." Ciel had in fact been putting most of his weight on it, a habit he'd thought to have long broken.
He flinched as a hand came to rest on his back. Sebastian pulled him down and Ciel avoided his eyes as he sat on Sebastian's knee. This was no easy task, as close as their faces were to each other. Bright red eyes observed him as he dabbed at Sebastian's skin as though a wound would appear if he tried hard enough. This wasn't possible. He knew his eye wasn't playing tricks on him, he had seen blood before he hid on the other side of the wall.
"There is more to you than you let on," he said.
"The same would seem to go for you."
Ciel gasped. Sebastian's hand had traveled further up his back, and though there were layers of clothing to hide it, his fingers traced the outline of the brand toward the back of Ciel's ribs. He jerked away but that hand pulled him back down. His feet sought purchase as he slid off Sebastian's knee into his lap.
"It is the lord and lady's most fervent wish for me to look after you, to see to your needs...what to you have to lose by accepting me?" Sebastian asked softly.
"You tell me."
"Not a thing, my young lord." His hand crept up to hold the back of Ciel's neck, leaving him powerless to turn away as Sebastian's face drew closer, his breath ghosting over Ciel's lips."I am a man of few secrets. I am merely one hell of a butler."
Ciel swallowed. He was sitting sideways in the butler's lap and Sebastian seemed to envelop him, a barrier that separated him from rationality and reason. "Only a few, eh?"
A gloved finger curled under his chin and Sebastian's face came too close to focus on. Ciel closed his eye, heart hammering in his chest as Sebastian said, "I suppose I'm about to have one more."