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. Without her brilliant ideas, it wouldn't exist!

Chapter 10
His Butler, Vengeful

Five minutes, and he'd had enough. He hadn't touched a single dessert himself as he sipped his tea, merely watched the child across the table from him indulge in the rich sweetness of everything he tried. Isaac's eyes moved briefly to the path that the boy's butler had walked down mere moments ago, deciding that now was his one good chance to strike. As the Phantomhive set his teacup down and reached for another petite four, Isaac Bleu rose quickly to his feet. In one swift, fluid movement, the small table was flipped onto its side, and desserts scattered throughout the small garden.

Ciel Phantomhive sat back with a stunned look on his previously stoic face; that small dessert still held daintily between two little fingers. Isaac could almost smell the melting chocolate shell on his fingertips as he lunged forward and grabbed the young Earl's shoulders, knocking his chair back into the flower bed as he pinned the boy down. Ciel hadn't even time to cry out before a cloth was forced over his nose and mouth. He struggled, briefly, kicking his slender legs wildly enough to send one perfect little shoe flying.

Then that eye rolled back and the boy's body went limp beneath his attacker, his head tipping back into the grass. Isaac stood and lifted the boy easily into his arms, taking a single moment to glance back at the empty path before running back the way they had come, to his waiting carriage. It had been far easier than he thought to take the infamous Earl Phantomhive, right from under his watchful butler's nose.

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"Lord Chamber?"

Eleanor knocked gently on the door to the Viscount's office, though it was already open. She stepped into the room and bowed politely. "Mr. Rhys Bennet is here to see you, my Lord," the girl said as she stood back up.

The Viscount took his feet down from his desk and smiled as he stood up. "Wonderful. Please let him in," he said immediately, preparing to greet his guest. He opened up a locked drawer on the left side of his desk and pulled out a thick, unmarked envelope. He held it in his hand as a dark-haired man with a top hat stepped into the room.

The man removed his top hat and bowed his head respectfully. "Viscount," he said politely. "I have your parcel."

The Viscount smiled as he walked over to the man, reaching out to shake his hand firmly. "Excellent work—did they suspect you at all?"

"No, sir," the man said as he lifted his head to look at Alister's face with bright green eyes. He smiled slowly.

"Wonderful!" The Viscount said cheerfully as he handed Bennet the thick envelope. "The rest of your pay, with a small bonus. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Isaac Bleu."

Bennet laughed as he took the envelope. He opened it briefly to glance in, smirking with approval before tucking it carefully into his coat. "Anytime, Monsieur Viscount," he said with a soft chuckle. "Enjoy your spoils." After setting his top hat back onto his head, the man tipped it politely and turned to show himself out with a smile lingering on his face.

The Viscount went to his locked drawer and lifted his black sheer mask from it with a little smile. "Let the bidding begin."

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It was dark…and he could feel the bite of too-tight ropes around his wrists. Ciel pulled at them slightly, only to gasp as a jolt of pain rushed through his arms and chest. Then, an uncomfortable heat in his muscles followed and he couldn't help the groan that slipped out. He was bound with his arms behind him, and he must have been lying on them for quite a while, for that prickly pins-and-needles feeling that happened when your limbs fell asleep was now sending dull, but painful shockwaves through his arms. He swore quietly and bent one knee, sliding one bare foot up the cotton sheets he was lying on.

"What a mouth on you," a gruff voice mused from beside him.

Ciel froze entirely and took in a deep breath. His lips were chapped, and the air was stagnant and musty. It made his lungs ache and tighten. He began to choke on his own air, turning his body away from that voice as he did.

"You're a rich little brat, aren't you? I can tell by the way you smell," the voice continued. A hand touched Ciel's bare hip, and he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that he was naked. "And how soft you are. You've never done a day's labor in your life, have you, boy?" as the voice got closer to his ear, he could feel the man's warm breath against his neck, then the rough feeling of a short beard against his shoulder. He jerked away and coughed with the smell of the man's breath. He smelled of tobacco and cheap brandy.

As the young Earl tried to lean away from that touch, his thigh was grabbed roughly. He was forced onto his side and his legs pulled open. Even the refined Phantomhive couldn't help screaming.

"Where'd they get you, huh? I bet Mommy and Daddy are worried sick over their precious angel… or are you a run away? It doesn't matter either way… I paid a hefty sum to have you in my bed, and I intend to make sure that not a single penny goes to waste. They assured me you were a virgin…" the man continued; his lips far too close to Ciel's ear once more.

Ciel felt as if he would throw up. As the ropes around his wrists were removed, he lurched forward to escape, but his arms were far too numb to cooperate. Instead of escaping, like he had hoped, the little Earl found himself pinned face down onto the bed, his arms held up over his head with one large, strong hand. Another hand slid down his spine to his hip, where it stopped briefly, before moving back.

Little Ciel cried out loudly into the pillow, jerking his hips back in a desperate attempt to break away. He pushed his face into the pillows, turning his face down in order to use the pillow to push his blindfold up. He opened his eyes with a gasp, glancing across the room as his vision adjusted to the dim, orange light that a single lone candle was giving off. From the looks of it, the room he was in was dingy and the scent of water damage was evident. He must have been in some kind of barn or basement.

"Sebastian," he whispered hurriedly.

The whole room went dark immediately, and the hands on him paused before pulling away. His assailant swore quietly, something along the lines of "damn wind," as he leaned forward to climb off the mattress. The bed groaned, seemingly with relief as the weight of that body was lifted from atop of it.

"I must ask that you kindly remove your filthy hands from my young master's body," Sebastian's voice growled deeply. Then, in the darkness, there was an immediate thud. Ciel pushed himself up onto his elbows carefully and looked up with a quiet gasp as the red eyes of his butler, visible in the darkness only because of the dangerous glow behind them.

"S-Sebastian," the young Earl whispered, staring up at his servant silently. "...you—"

"Forgive my tardiness, Young Master," the demon whispered, kneeling against the bed and pulling a sheet up over the child's naked form. "They haven't been treating you very well, have they?" He turned his head to look toward the silhouette of the groaning man on the floor, his ruby eyes narrowing precariously as he rose slowly to his feet. "Touching my master in such a lewd way is unforgiveable," he said in a deathly calm voice, staring down his nose at the cowering man.

"Sebastian…" Ciel whispered from the bed. He pulled the sheet up just a little higher and reached up to touch his face, just under that marked eye. "This is an order. Kill him."

Sebastian's lips curled back into a blood-curdling grin as he turned to his master, and knelt obediently. "Yes, my Lord."

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The air in Ciel's powder room felt heavier than usual, and the silence lingering over the young Earl and his butler only made it seem even more so. The scent of lavender was almost overpowering, gently amplified by the heat of the water in the elegant bathtub that the Phantomhive was currently lounging in; one leg dangling daintily out of the water, and his head back against the edge of the tub. His eyes were closed as water dripped from his wet hair, down his pretty face in sporadic trails.

Sebastian had finished washing the boy some time ago. He'd already had to add hot water to the tub twice while his little master relaxed in the water. It was late, far past the boy's usual bed time, but for once, he said nothing. He knelt down beside the bath tub as he poured another bowl of hot water carefully into the bath. When the bowl was empty, he set it aside and dipped his hand in to mix the water carefully, watching his master's peaceful face.

He took up the wash cloth from where it lay draped over the side of the tub, and dipped it into the water to heat it back up again. Raising it from the warm suds, he squeezed it over the boy's chest to let the warmth rain down onto him. Ciel shivered visibly and Sebastian couldn't help but smirk. He dipped the cloth back into the water, and slid it up the boy's chest, to his shoulders.

"You can't stay in much longer, Young Master," the demon finally said.

"I'm not tired," Ciel insisted in a quiet voice, his eyes remaining closed for now as he allowed his butler's hands to wander along his chest, shoulders and arms.

"You are," Sebastian insisted with an amused smile. He squeezed some more water onto the boy's chest and shoulders. "You're already struggling to stay awake."

"I want to stay in a bit longer," the Phantomhive whispered.

Sebastian took a knee behind the boy and set his bare hands against his wet shoulders. He slid one hand down his chest to snatch the wash cloth as it floated above the boy's chest, and rubbed it against his collar bone, boldly pressing his cheek to the child's wet ear. "I insist you come out of the tub, Young Master," he whispered, relishing in the feeling of the little Earl shivering under his touch.

Those mismatched eyes opened slowly, and the Phantomhive sighed as he stared across the room boredly. Finally, he nodded his head and sat up, pulling away from Sebastian's touch as he rose to his feet, water dripping off of him and splattering back into the warm, safe haven he was being forced to leave. He turned and lifted his arms as Sebastian wrapped a towel around him and hoisted him gently out of the bath and onto the soft rug beneath it.

"Would you like for me so stay with you until you fall asleep?" the demonic butler offered as he took a knee once more to dry the boy off.

"While I sleep," Ciel corrected quietly, turning his face away quickly to avoid the mocking glance he knew would be sent his way.

Sebastian smirked quietly and eyed his master with a devilish look in his eyes. "My, my," he started softly.

"Shut up—just do as I say."

Sebastian chuckled quietly and put a hand to his chest as he bowed before his master. "Yes, my Lord."

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"Your tea, Lord Chamber," Eleanor said gently as she stepped into her master's office with a tray in her hand. She smiled and set the tray down gently, pouring the man a cup of tea without hesitation, and adding one clump of sugar for him.

"Thank you, Eleanor," the young Viscount said as he set his papers aside and leaned forward to lift the cup. He smiled and sipped from it.

"There is a package here for you as well," the girl said pleasantly, smiling. "Shall I bring it to you?"

"Yes," came the reply as the Viscount set his tea down and lifted a pen to sign the bottom of the papers he had been looking at.

The young maid bowed, and lifted the silver tray, holding it under her arm as she hurried from the room to do as she was told. When she returned, that sweet smile still lingered on her face as she carried a medium-sized box in her hands. "It's heavy," she stated gently, setting the parcel carefully onto her master's desk and curtsying. "Will you need anything else, my Lord?"

"Not now, Eleanor," the Viscount said with a nod as he stood and pulled the package closer to himself. "However, I'd like you to return in an hour."

The girl blushed and nodded her head with another quick curtsy. She hurried out of the man's ornate office, hoping to freshen herself up before returning to her employer's office. After all, she knew well enough what the man had in mind for her.

She was right, of course. The Viscount of Druitt rarely surprised anyone who knew him. He chuckled quietly as he opened the package before him. The laugh died quickly on his tongue, however, as he looked down into the package that had been sent to him. Amethyst eyes widened and he stumbled back with a horrified scream.

UGH! I'm back from my unexpected hiatus, and am DEEPLY apologetic for being gone so long! I've been so busy, busy, busy! I'm in the middle of moving my studio and getting ready for a craft fair, so things are crazy. Plus, Connecticon was two weeks ago and I was busy preparing for that too. Did any of you guys go to Connecticon? Maybe you saw me there, lol! I was dressed as Alice from Heart no Kuni no Alice!

Anyways, I'm back now! And back with a VENGENCE! I won't do that again, promise! To make up for it, I'm going to write TWO flash fictions this week! (Maybe more if I have the time?) So don't forget to leave your prompts at the end of your REVIEWS! Did you all read the first flashfiction? I hope you enjoyed it! Look for it in my profile!

Season two has started! Have any of you been watching? OMG it's so good, right? I'm in love and I want to write another fanfiction around Claude and Alois, but I need to wait to learn more about them. Perhaps I'll write a flashfiction around them? Hmm…

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't hate me too much for leaving for like.. a month. I'm so terrible. I love you guys, and I love your reviews! They really are what keep me motivated to keep writing, so keep them coming! The more reviews I get, the faster I can bang out chapters, somehow!

- Lo