Gambit

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Kuroshitsuji, nor am I clever enough to have thought of them on my own. This story contains male/male relationships between an adult and a child—if that offends you, please stop reading now. This story is dedicated to my amazing "husbandou," Dahlia. 3 Without her brilliant ideas, it wouldn't exist!

Chapter 5
His Butler, Obedient

Sebastian!

Ciel had been sure the blade of that scalpel had plunged right into his eye… He had certainly felt it—or was he imagining that…? At some point everything had gone black. Had he lost his eye? Was he…dead?

Sebastian…

His eyes opened, and he discovered with an incredible feeling of relief that he was somehow unscathed. The sun was still shining brightly down onto his face, though a figure moved into his blurry field of vision and he narrowed his eyes to let them adjust so he could recognize the silhouette standing over him.

"Honestly, Young Master…" a familiar voice said incredulously. "You are a sad case."

"S-Sebastian," Ciel whispered, remembering suddenly to breathe.

"Did you think I wouldn't come for you?" Sebastian said with a smirk slowly pulling at his lips. He even dared to chuckle as he shook his head. What a sight his little master was. He let his red eyes scan the length of the child's body, immediately noting the fabric of his nightshirt pushed up higher on the boy's thighs than was appropriate. His brow lifted quietly and he frowned as he turned to glance at the unconscious man on the floor.

"This is hardly funny! Untie me already," Ciel demanded quickly, tugging at the ropes holding him down.

Sebastian smiled a little as he turned back to his master. He nodded his head as he reached to simply rip open the ropes that held him. He slid an arm under the young Earl to slowly help him sit up, watching as he rubbed at his rope-burned wrists.

"You're late," Ciel muttered, as he always did. He glanced over at the unconscious figure on the floor and narrowed his eyes. "Kill him," the boy ordered immediately. He looked away from the magician and noticed the twins cowering silently together as they stared at Sebastian. It was as if they knew what he was. "And them…all of them."

His gaze dropped slowly to the rag-doll project on the table beside him. "…and destroy that," he said, his voice shaking just a little. "Obliterate everything, Sebastian. Burn the place." His voice was broken and unforgiving. Sebastian had heard the boy sound like that one other time…

"Yes, my Lord," the faithful butler said, bowing to his master. He looked at the twins and narrowed his eyes as he approached them. "Little Imps should stay out of the light, and go back to the darkness where they belong," the demon said to them, his expression twisting up into something wicked. Even the Phantomhive felt fear in the pit of his stomach when he saw it.

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The familiar sloshing of sudsy water and the scent of lavender was enough to put the young Earl at ease, if only a small bit. He was lying back quietly in the bathtub, looking up at the ceiling as Sebastian's hands moved gently and thoroughly over his aching body, washing away the grit, sweat and fear that had built up over the past twenty-or-so hours. He let his mismatch eyes close and gave a slow sigh. The sun had nearly set, and the room was dim with nothing but a few candles lighting it.

He had already eaten a hearty but simple dinner of lamb stew and fresh bread, served with mint vanilla tea. He was grateful for the bold flavors to rid his mouth of the horrible aftertaste of his own vomit.

"Sebastian…" the boy said, suddenly enough to nearly startle the demon butler who was diligently cleaning his master's slender body.

"My Lord?"

"What are imps, exactly? Those girls…you called them imps."

Sebastian smirked a little as he slid the washcloth in his hands gently up the inside of his master's thigh. "Lowly creatures who serve no purpose but to wait on demons."

"Hasani, then… he was a demon?"

"No, Young Master. He was definitely human…but he had a seal much like your own here," he said, touching the young master's chest gently with his fingertips. "I suspect he was a contractee, just as you are."

"He made a covenant with those girls then?"

Sebastian grinned, as if the very suggestion were ridiculous. To him, it was. "Imps are hardly worthy of such a contract, nor are they interested in human souls. They were given to him by his contractor, whoever that may be. It was a powerful demon, however…perhaps the Devil himself. The illusions he performed on stage were genuine, and no human could ever manage such a feat. The coins he gave out as well were cursed. It was so slight even I could hardly sense it, but those lowly imps were able to follow them to find the children Hasani had selected."

Ciel gasped as his butler's hand slid up his inner thigh, without the wash cloth. He sat up a bit and looked at the demon as he bent his knee to move away from that touch. "Watch it," he said. He'd had enough of being touched for the day…

There it was again: that grin. The Phantomhive's back straightened anxiously when he saw it, and he slid back just a bit in the bathtub. "Wipe that perverted grin off your face this instant, Sebastian."

Sebastian only chuckled and leaned forward, catching the boy's wrist and pulling him forward. "My Lord… Please allow me to help you forget about the filthy hands that dared touch the Earl Phantomhive," he murmured almost huskily.

Ciel's eyes widened considerably as he stared at his butler's face. "W-what?" he asked, leaning back a little. An unfamiliar feeling welled up in the pit of the little Earl's stomach as Sebastian's arm snaked around his small shoulders and pulled him close. He kept his shoulders raised and his body tense, lowering his eyes as his pale cheeks brightened bashfully. This was foreign territory for him—bashful was hardly his common demeanor. When Sebastian's marked hand released his wrist, and dipped back into the warm, soapy water, the Phantomhive couldn't help the startled little cry that escaped him.

"Bashful doesn't suit you, my Lord," the butler commented with a mocking tone, that grin lingering still on his face.

"Sh-shut up…" Ciel muttered, his cheeks growing even redder. He didn't like this…

Sebastian let his fingertips graze slowly over the boy's thigh once more, almost chuckling when he heard the boy gasp. He lowered his head to press his nose against the young teen's temple, so that his lips lingered just beside his ear. "To let this body be soiled by unclean hands…would be a travesty," he purred. His hand travelled up the length of that slender thigh as he spoke, and knuckles brushed mischievously over that most private place on his master's body.

Ciel's eyes widened immediately. He gasped and tore away from Sebastian's grasp, splashing water onto the floor and soaking the small rug beside the tub. "W-what are you—!"

Sebastian sat back as the water sloshed back and splattered him as well, and then sighed quietly, shaking off his hands. He offered his little master a simple smile as he got to his feet. "Let's get you into bed, Young Master." As if nothing happened.

He reached into the water and tugged the plug from the drain, surreptitiously taking pleasure in the panicked, embarrassed, panting mess that was his sweet master. He lifted a soft white towel from the hanger on the wall and stepped onto the soaked rug to wait for Ciel to stand up, that smile never leaving his face.

How very like a demon, to be able to smile like that at Ciel when only moments before he was breaking the boundaries of propriety in such a vulgar way. Ciel was still blushing deeply when he stood up. He kept his head lowered and his eyes locked on the ground, even as Sebastian leaned forward to lift him gently out of the water. When he was set down on that sopping wet rug, the fibers made an unpleasant squish noise under his bare feet.

Ciel wrinkled up his nose in disapproval, but said nothing. It was his own fault the rug was wet, though he could easily turn it around and blame Sebastian for it. If the demon had only kept his hands to himself…

After thoroughly drying the child-Earl's body and hair, he set the towel aside and slid a fresh night shirt onto him. He knelt, albeit reluctantly, on the rug down on one knee as he buttoned the shirt up. "I will allow you to sleep in tomorrow morning," the butler said gently. "I will send word to your instructors that your lessons will be delayed."

Ciel just nodded quietly, keeping his eyes averted and trying his damndest to keep from blushing even more. He said nothing to his servant as he followed the demon down the dim hall to his bedroom and climbed into the soft safety of his oversized bed. He buried his face immediately into one cool pillow and wrapped his small arms around it tightly, closing his eyes with a sigh.

Sebastian brought the sheets up over his master and reached for the candelabra, but paused when he heard the tiny request: "stay with me until I fall asleep."

He smirked a little and looked at the back of the Phantomhive's head. "Oh? You—"

"Shut up, and just do it," Ciel said immediately, his tired voice muffled by the pillow. He wasn't in the mood for Sebastian's mockery.

Sebastian chuckled quietly and blew out the candles. "Yes, my Lord."

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"Hello, Maylene~!" a cheerful voice sang excitedly from the doorway of a familiar coach. Elizabeth Middleford climbed happily out of the coach, hopping down the last step. She giggled, and didn't bother to wait for her poor attendant as she hurried up the stairs.

Maylene cried out and nearly dropped the flowers she had been carrying inside when she saw the girl. "L-L-Lady Elizabeth!" she stammered anxiously, her glasses slipping forward on the bridge of her nose.

Elizabeth giggled and hugged the poor maid. "I came to surprise Ciel!" She turned back to the carriage. "Paula!" she called to her attendant, who was struggling to climb down from the carriage in a lady-like manner without someone to help her.

"I'm going inside to find Ciel!" Elizabeth announced whirling around toward the door. She gasped when she saw Sebastian standing just in front of her. "Sebastian!"

Sebastian had looked surprised for only a minute. He gave a polite smile then, and bowed to his master's little fiancé. "Lady Elizabeth, we were not expecting a visit from you."

Elizabeth giggled again and put a hand to her mouth. "I know! It's a surprise!"

It certainly was. Sebastian's brow twitched as he continued to smile at the girl, and motioned to the door. "Allow me to escort you inside. The young master is finishing his French lesson." He waited for Paula to catch up with them and glanced to Maylene, who looked dazed and overwhelmed. He left her as she was to lead their unexpected guests inside to the sitting room.

"I shall retrieve the young master. Please sit here and make yourselves comfortable, I will return promptly with tea." He waited for them to sit, before leaving the sitting room with a sigh. Honestly…did she always have to show up unannounced like this? With his master barely recovered from the circumstances only a few days before, such a visit was just bothersome.

"Pardon the intrusion, Young Master," he said softly as he stepped into the boy's study. The boy had just closed his book. When he had the Earl's attention, he stood up straight, his hand lingering on the fancy handle of the door. "Miss Elizabeth is here."

Ciel looked surprise. "Lizzy?" he asked, putting his book into the second drawer on his right. He stood up. "Was she supposed to come for a visit?"

"No, Young Master. It was a surprise."

"Oh," Ciel said softly. Sebastian was surprised by how calm his master seemed about her visit. He was usually irritated by Lizzy's 'surprise' visits. "All right, bring some tea and dessert, Sebastian."

Sebastian watched his young master for a moment, before nodding his head. "Yes, my Lord," he said, turning to do as he was told. His master was one of the few creatures who could genuinely surprise the demon—it certainly made for an interesting companionship. Nothing ever seemed dull with the Phantomhive.

Ciel headed immediately down to the sitting room. For once, he was grateful for Elizabeth's discourteous visits. He knew that seeing her smiling face would somehow help to mend him after what he had been through.

Somehow…

He pushed open the door to the sitting room and looked over at her as she sat speaking animatedly to her peculiar maid in a pretty blue frock Miss Nina had designed for her. He took in a deep breath and held tightly onto the doorknob.

"Lizzy."

Yaay! Chapter five. Sorry if it's a little short, like chapter four was... I bet you're all glad this one is on time, though! Haha... This chapter was a bit of a struggle after chapter four actually, It was hard to keep up with the momentum! I hope it didn't stall out or anything for you, and I hope everything was explained well!

I still need to hear from you guys about the VisCount, and Grell! Is that something you all would like to see in the future? Let me know through REVIEWS what you'd like!

Look for Chapter Six on Sunday! Even though Hasani's gone, the story goes on! Dahlia is teaming with ideas, so I don't think I'll run out of fuel any time soon. Your reviews so far have been wonderful and so motivating! Every time I read a new review I get excited and inspired to write more, so keep them coming!

What did you think of the bathtub scene? I hope Sebastian was still in character enough for all of you!

As always, please read and REVIEW!

- Lo