A small hand on his face brought him back to the waking world. Sebastian opened his eyes to find Ciel's head on his chest and the boy's hand stroking the side of his face. A single lapis colored eye widened when he looked down at his young master. Ciel sat up and cleared his throat, pulling his hand away as if Sebastian's skin had burned it. Sebastian's brows knitted together as he realized he was laying in a bed.

"I'm growing tired of replacing your clothes," Ciel said.

Sebastian sat up on his elbows. "Perhaps you shouldn't tear them off quite so forcefully, then."

Cheeks pink, Ciel said, "I am your master, I'll do what I please. Furthermore, I don't do any damage that can't be repaired with your needle and thread. I can't say the same for the reapers you crossed paths with today."

Oh, yes. Reapers. He recalled a flash of chartreuse under long bangs, and the feeling that he was falling forever but never landing. It was what humans called unconsciousness. His confusion deepened. "I was unable to track Alois, as he is in his home realm, but I found Grell."

"On a first name basis now, are we?"

"Don't be petulant. I was trying to kill him, to draw the rest of the reapers out so we could exterminate them. Apparently Undertaker didn't care for such a disturbance outside his shop."

Ciel narrowed his eye. "What was Doctor Sutcliff doing there?"

"I don't know, I couldn't quite hear his explanation over the sound of his chainsaw."

"Now who's being petulant?"

Sebastian smirked and sat up. He straightened the pin on his lapel and rolled his shoulders, giving off a series of pops and cracks. The centuries really were telling on him. "I apologize for my unconsciousness, again. It would seem being bound here by a mere fraction of a soul is allowing me only a tenuous connection to this world."

"It would seem so. I'm not used to seeing you get hurt."

"I am sorry for the inconvenience, young-oh, my."

He cut himself off as his arms and lap were filled with a small, warm body. Ciel's arms locked around his neck, face resting just above Sebastian's crisp white collar. Sebastian was wondering if demons could dream as he returned the embrace. This wasn't like his young lord at all. He didn't think it was wise to mention it, however. Ciel would snap back into his shell like a tiny, indignant turtle.

"Stop scaring me, you don't even breathe when you sleep," Ciel said to his butler's necktie.

Sebastian leaned back until Ciel had no choice but to speak to his face. "I promised I wouldn't leave you without a proper goodbye, did I not?"

"People break promises."

"I am not exactly people."

Ciel sighed and dropped his head back onto Sebastian's shoulder. "You're not invincible now, either."

"There are no limits to how far I'll go to keep my promise to you, and not a force strong enough to make me break it."

Ciel's arms tightened. "When you have recovered, go back after him."

"You are quite sure you want me to kill someone you cared for?"

"Doctor Sutcliff is dead to me. Grell the reaper is my enemy, and I want you to eliminate him by any means necessary except sacrificing your own life. That's an order."

"Yes, my lord." The pentagram glowed through his ripped glove, giving him no choice but to obey Ciel's words.

He sat in silence for awhile, more than content to hold his little lord until he wanted to move. At one point he thought Ciel had fallen asleep but when he looked down his eye was open and fixed blankly on the wall. Sebastian petted his smoke hued locks, wondering what was going through the boy's mind. He detested the weakness he'd had since returning to the human world. It inhibited his ability to protect Ciel and it was an especially big problem when he was hunting reapers. They were divine beings, and he was an equal match for them on his best day. They had the advantage if he was weakened plus they had strength in numbers.

He pressed his lips to the top of Ciel's head. It was time to swallow his pride and ask for help. If it meant keeping his little lord safe, it was worth it.

(((())))

The mist of early morning had not cleared the air when he reached the center of the woods outside Phantomhive manor. He twirled the knife in his hand and stared at the ground. If he had any other options, he would take them, but he was running out of time. The reapers had a duty to retrieve the ring and they would be more determined than ever if their efforts were being thwarted by a demon. He closed his hand around the blade and let his blood drip onto the dewy grass. As he spoke in his native tongue, the blood began to move of its own accord. He did not let the wound on his hand heal until a ring had formed on the ground and, inside it, an inverted pentagram.

Fine threads formed between each point of the pentagram. Black specks began to crawl from the ground, which Sebastian fought the urge to crush under his shoe as they drew closer on their multitude of legs. From the trees came more of them until the pentagram was nearly obscured by a mass of black arachnids. A shape began to take form at the center. It writhed and twisted, bones snapping into place and muscle forming with an unpleasantly wet sound. Sebastian stepped back as the half formed human stood up. The threads of the spider web connecting it to the pentagram broke and the spiders retreated into the ground. In their wake was a striking man in all black.

"Grown bored of this world already, have you?" drawled an all too familiar voice.

"I suppose I was in need of someone with a good poker face."

Claude's lips twisted into a perverse imitation of a smile. He flicked his hand and cards fanned out between his fingers. "I'm flattered."

"You were my only choice."

A joker card flew toward him and stopped less than an inch from his eye. "Careful. I am no tame dog like you, Sebastian Michaelis."

"That's precisely why you're here."

Claude flicked his wrist and the joker returned to his hand, then disappeared with the other cards. He drew a pair of rimless glasses from his pocket and slid them on. "What's in it for me?"

"You aren't contracted, so it's open season for hunting here."

"You know how bothersome grim reapers can be when we eat their precious souls. I prefer luring my prey to me, and making them surrender their soul willingly."

"Speaking of how bothersome grim reapers can be, that reminds me there is something I could use a hand with..."

Claude peered at the other demon over the top of his glasses. "Oh hell no, Sebastian."

Ciel looked up when the door to his study opened. By the lack of knocking, he knew it was his butler before he entered the room. Sebastian placed his dessert on the table along with hot milk. Ciel watched the steam rise, forcing himself to remember the peaceful day was a mere facade for the war being waged outside the manor walls. There were demigods out there who wanted to take away not only his last tie to his father but also to Sebastian. He ran his thumb over the stone. Knowing there was a piece of Vincent in there, he had grown protective of it.

"You should take a break, you'll strain your eye if you spend another hour looking for a pitfall in this contract."

"I'm meeting with him tomorrow, I don't have such a luxury."

Sebastian came to Ciel's side of the desk and took the contract out of his hands. "I shall look it over while you have your dessert."

Falling prey to his one true weakness, Ciel pulled his walnut encrusted slice of pie toward him and began shoveling it in. When he was finished Sebastian returned his plate and empty cup to the rolling cart. Sebastian offered him more milk, which he refused. He watched the demon circle back around to his side of the desk with the contract. Sebastian was already on the last page of insufferably long thing.

"How can you possibly read that fast?"

"I am sorry to keep you waiting, I wanted to read it a second time just to be safe." Sebastian placed it on the desk. "All seems to be in order."

Second time… "Right. Very well."

"Now, let me get you cleaned up."

Ciel turned to him with a questioning look to find him much closer than he expected. He gasped as Sebastian's tongue slowly licked a bit of cream from the corner of his mouth. His hands went to the back of the demon's head and turned it toward him for a kiss. Sitting in the chair with Sebastian bent down to him, he felt even smaller than usual. He slipped his tongue into the taller man's mouth and moaned at the sweet taste he found there. Sebastian lifted him up and he let himself be laid across the desk.

"Still hungry for more dessert, my young lord?"

Ciel pulled his hair and sat up to glare directly into his eyes. "You are not here to question what I want, you're here to give it to me."

A sharp intake of breath sent both their heads snapping to the side. Ciel's hair practically stood on end as a figure emerged from the shadowy side of the study untouched by the candelabra. The tall man's lips were parted, and his suit seemed suspiciously tight in his nether regions. Ciel grabbed the letter opener next to him and scrambled to his feet.

"Who the hell are you and WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?"

Demonic eyes flashed with unbridled desire and the man bowed. "My name is Claude Faustus. I am here to aid in your protection."

"Because he clearly needed protecting just now," Sebastian said, brow arched.

"No, that doesn't seem to be what he needed. I believe I understand your fixation with this boy. I, too, would suffer on Earth if I got to ravage that beautiful body every night."

"GET OUT!"

As soon as the door closed behind Claude (who looked less like a spider demon than a kicked puppy demon), Ciel whirled to face Sebastian, who already had an explanation prepared before any yelling could be directed at him. "He is a demon, as well. I would have disclosed that I asked for his assistance but I didn't think he would take up residence in the manor. Do forgive me."

"You say that like I found him taking a nap in one of the guest rooms. That creep was watching us and then he started talking about ravaging me! What the hell kind of friends do you have?"

"Well, the Hellish kind."

"Sebastian!"

Ciel was satisfied by the slight flinch his butler gave as he pointed his letter opener at him in warning. He felt violated just by that weirdo looking at him. There was no way he was keeping him around. He shouted as much to Sebastian, who waited patiently for him to finish before raising his hands in a gesture for peace. Ciel gave it to him, more to catch his breath than to give Sebastian what he wanted.

"Claude is unsettling, to say the least. I am not refuting that. However, the reapers are powerful, and they will be even stronger adversaries with their emotions involved. It pains me to admit it but I don't think I can defeat them alone in my current state."

Ciel returned the letter opener to its place on his desk, huffing and muttering but largely placated. He couldn't find anything to argue with. The servants were humans, they weren't suitable defense against immortals. If Claude was the only one who could help Sebastian then he couldn't very well take that away. He turned back toward Sebastian.

"Keep your creepy friend on a leash. Next time I find him spying on us or me, I'll shoot his testicles into his throat."

"Noted."

Brittle leaves crunched under Alois' boots as he trekked through the woods. He was on his guard after seeing what remained of a summoning ritual in a clearing. Demons were a real pain in the ass, especially lovestruck idiots like Sebastian. He sneered and whacked a limb out of his way with his scythe. He probably should have waited for Grell, but he hadn't seen him since his mentor skipped out on work the day before. Whatever.

He paused when he caught a scent that wasn't just wet grass and pine. He rested his scythe across his shoulders, looking around. Twilight had subsided into a dark night and the trees kept the moon from lighting his path. His eyesight was better than a human's, but he still couldn't determine what was assaulting his nose with a distinct sense of Not Right. A twig snapped nearby and he brought his scythe to bear.

"Come on, then, you coward," he said to the moving shadow.

"You had best mind that pretty mouth."

From behind a tree came a man too pale and too perfect to be anything besides a demon. He was shuffling a deck of cards, of all things. Alois laughed. "Or what?"

The demon took another step and what little light filtered through the leaves illuminated his gold eyes and sharp cheekbones. Goddamn, he was fine. Alois wavered slightly, though he kept his scythe in position. Was hate sex an acceptable form of self defense?

"Why don't you come closer and find out."

Before he could deny or take the invitation, his scythe soared out of his hands. It hit the tree next to the demon, bound by some kind of shiny white thread. Alois raised his hands in what he hoped was a fighting stance. No one had taught him how to defend himself without his scythe. Claude flung his hand out and a dozen razors seemed to fly at Alois. He covered his face and hissed at the hot stinging on his arms. He caught a glimpse of a classically illustrated king on a white background. The asshole was doing this with playing cards? Seriously?

"I suggest you leave," the demon said as the bloodied cards returned neatly to the deck in his hand.

"I suggest you eat me."

The demon didn't smile but his eyes danced with amusement. He spread his arms, spinning cards around his fingers. "As you wish. Let's play."

A/N: I don't like Claude, but I need him right now so I'm borrowing his annoying ass. Also, I don't know why my headcanon of him has become some weird cross with Gambit from X-Men Origins: Wolverine but it works so yeah. IDK. All my love to you wonderful people taking the time to R&R!