Chapter 14: Danny POV

The next few days were arguably awkward. I would walk past the Demon as if nothing had happened and he would say nothing, but when I turned to talk to the young Master, and the Demon would be turning away from me. We had said we would not discuss what was seen or said, and I for one wanted to forget it completely. We certainly were busy getting the Manor ready for the Winter Ball that was going to be held the next week, the day after Christmas.

"No, hold me here," I said, pulling Vincent's hand up to my waist. He was too short to hold me properly at the shoulder blade. "Now, listen to the music. Left forward, right shoulder length apart - do watch my feet! When you dance with a lady she would appreciate you not stepping on her dress shoes. Now, left next to your right, and right back - back, Vincent. The lady goes forward. Don't pull me so hard, you gently guide the lady forward. And right foot back, left now shoulder width, and left beside. Now, forward once more."

I had to endure several more times my feet being stepped on, and my shoes being scuffed, but by the end of the hour, Vincent seemed to be able to guide himself. I left him to dance with an invisible lady, watching him as he went through the Waltz, box stepping around the library.

"Looks like the young Master will be able to attend the dancing portion of the Winter Ball and not embarrass himself," the Demon said. I looked up, startled and reached over to the recording of the music and put it back to the beginning of the song.

"Again, and this time, keep your arms up," I said, looking at the young boy. "Up! Right angle, yes, much better. You look like a natural," I added. I glanced at the Demon who was standing beside me. Close. I shifted but found myself bumping into the record player. It skipped and both the Demon and Vincent looked at me. I replaced it quickly and reset the music. "Sorry, continue."

"Are you okay?" the Demon asked. I looked up and saw concern.

"Quite," I replied, curtly. He nodded and stepped back a bit. "Can I talk to you, out in the hall?"

He raised an eyebrow and turned, opening the door for me. I looked at him as I moved past. Honestly. I was a man - on the outside. And he was treating me almost as if I was both inside and out, as a woman.

I pulled him down the hall, away from prying ears, should the young Master decide to stop his dancing. "Mister Sebastian," I started. "I feel as if there is something of a misunderstanding. I thought I had made it clear what you found was not to be discussed."

"And we haven't. Nor shall we."

"You are acting as if that is all you think about when I am around."

"I will keep your secret, Mr. Hyde. If I am acting out of normal ways around you, then I am sorry. My mind has been on other things, not on your… duplicity."

I blushed a bit. "Good. Thank you. Very well." I moved away and turned around, "Mister Sebastian? Why are you not asking me why I am doing this," I asked, waving my hand about my figure.

"You must have very good reasons why, and I respect that. I believe everyone has something that we wish to keep secret," he said turning toward me. "I will not ask, because it is not my secret, well, it is, but not why you do such a thing."

He bowed and walked past me. I turned and heard the music starting over, and I walked into the library, once more watching the young Master dance.

"Looks wonderful, I think you have it down. How about we go into the dining room and get a spot of tea and cake?"

He turned and smiled. "Yes, sir."

He walked over to the player and lifted the needle and took the record off. I took it and placed it back in its protective case. "Thank you Vincent. That was very helpful."

He looked up and smiled. It was the first genuine smile I had seen from him. His eyes lit up and I could see he was actually happy. In the month I had been with the Phantomhive family, I had seen Vincent smile only a few times. I smiled back and placed a guiding hand on his back, and we left the library, together, walking straight, polite, and looking like and mischievous nature had been turned off, even if for a brief moment.

The next few days went in the same fashion, except for a brief excitement when a tailor came by and gathered us all to wait outside one of the bedrooms to be measured. I sat down on the bench and opened my notebook, making notes on the few items I needed to get so the young Master and I could make a holiday craft for the tree that the Gardener had cut and hauled into the entry on his own. He had set it up, with the help of the Demon and the Maid and Cook were decorating it with the young Master. It already had several rows of stringed popcorn and some paper stars. I wanted to create origami boxes, cranes, and hand dip candles to put on the tree. It was all the things I had done as child to pass the time. We would carve apples and then stew them, having them with our meal and making funny faces as we did.

"You look like you are enjoying yourself," the Demon said, standing beside me. I looked up and he glanced down at me and smiled. "I saw it was another productive lesson."

I nodded, snapping my notebook closed. "Yes, I believe we may be able to let the Earl take his son to one of his businesses come the New Year," I said, smiling. The door opened and out stepped young Master Vincent and the Earl. I stood and tucked my notebook into my pocket. I felt the Demon tense beside me. I looked at him and sighed. "Not the first time I have been measured for a suit," I whispered.

He gave a small nod and I again was curious why a Demon would care about me. Surely he figured out I was not Human; his trick with the blank paper the first day of my employment was a sure sign he was testing me. I walked into the room and smiled at the tailor. She was an older woman who wore a thin pair of glasses, which made me long for my nice silver frames that were still at my home. I briefly wondered about my plants and tuned back into the woman as she asked me to step on the small stool and to spread my legs a bit. No one had a reason to suspect I was a woman, and she chatted about the Ball and what the Earl and Lady Phantomhive were wanting to do with the new suits, colours and designs. I listened and gave the appropriate nods and followed her directions to lift, turn, bend, step down, step up. She was whirling around, the tape measure whipped around and I didn't mind when she got a bit to close to me, and seemed to stare at my face to see if I minded.

"You certainly have a slim figure for a man," she finally commented as I stepped back. "Now, if you would, take off your top, I need more definite measurements of your chest."

"I was disfigured in an accident as a child," I said as I shrugged off my jacket. "Do you mind terribly if I leave my undergarment on?"

She blushed and I saw a few tears prickle her eyes. "Oh a poor man as beautiful as you! Yes, I don't wish to embarrass you."

I thanked her and shed my button-up shirt as well. We had been told of the tailor's arrival in enough time that as I washed for lunch, I quickly went up to my room and bound my chest tighter than normal. Admittedly I am not well gifted in that area, but enough that it would be odd found on a male. Now I looked like a well defined man, chest muscles and all. And once more the tape measurement flew around me and she noted each detail.

"Please, you may dress," she said, turning and putting the numbers on a sheet. "You will have a lovely white top, and a charming red suit -"

"Do you mind terribly if the suit isn't red? I… I am not fond of the abundance of the colour."

She paused and looked me over once more. "Oh, green, for your lovely eyes. Yes, much better. A green suit and a lovely white flower in your pocket." She looked at me once more and tapped her pencil on her chin. "Are you married?"

"No."

"Yes, a flowered handkerchief. Green and white, stripes maybe, play up the colours," she muttered to herself. She looked up at me and smiled. "You will look dashing."

I thanked her and left, noting that the hallway was empty. I walked back to my room and loosened my bound chest so it was a bit more comfortable.

Finally the day of the Winter Ball arrived and I found myself passing the specially made suit a few times as I walked into the bathroom. I ran my hands over the fabric and wondered again at how delicate it was. I appreciated it as a woman, how it would flow if it was a dress, but wondered how masculine it was. I wouldn't worry about it, I reminded myself. It wasn't for looks, merely because it was ordered by the Earl and each of us was to have a new suit. The Earl and Lady had told the staff that these were part of our gifts, and that after the Winter Ball we would receive another token. I had insisted I didn't need one; I had only been employed for a month. Lady Phantomhive had beamed down at her son and had shook her head.

"You deserve it, Mr. Hyde."

"I hope so," I said to my reflection. "One thing down, next is… the other thing," I muttered. The Demon. I didn't dare say anything out loud in case the Demon was listening to all the conversations around the house. In our trainings on how to deal with Demons, the Senior Reapers had warned us that Demons could listen in on multiple people. A dreadful thought for me as I still had an unclassified Demon roaming about. And knew one of my darkest secrets.

I walked down to the dining room for the brunch and met the Demon at the head of the stairs. He had on his usual black tailcoat and white gloves, his black hair was hanging around his face, framing his bright red eyes. I wondered for a brief moment what his Demonic self looked like. Surely not as beautiful. He joined me as I walked down the stairs. They had been decorated over the course of the week, young Master Vincent and I aiding the Maid as she untangled and tangled the garland and the small ribbon bows.

"The Manor looks quite festive," the Demon said. I nodded. "Will you be taking a week off to visit your family?"

I looked at him. "Is it common for a Tutor to do so in this house?"

He eyed me for a moment. "You don't normally have a week off to celebrate with family at your other posts?"

"I don't have any family to visit," I said. I looked at the garland and the Christmas tree. "I do have some friends who may wish I visit. So I may take a small Holiday."

"To Wales?"

I gave him a glance, and descended the stairs. "Wales, Ireland, Scotland…. I have friends all over."

"Quite a trip if you plan to see them in a week."

"Yes, quite a trip indeed," I replied and briskly walked into the dining room. I sat down beside the young Master and smiled at the Earl and Lady. I had to check in with the Society. I had been away from them too long. I frowned. My application. How long did it take for it to work through the system so I could retire? I would have a lot of questions for William when I went back.

The brunch was followed by a lively discussion on the placement of the band and the proper seating arrangement for the dinner. The young Master rightfully was bored and I tugged on his sleeve as he loaded his fork with potatoes and eyed the fruit bowl across the room. Although part of me was glad he was relaxed and was a child, the other part demanded that he be on his best behavior.

"Perhaps a round of chess?"

He looked at me and down at the fork. He flopped the fork over and the contents spilled on the linen, but did not fly across the room. "Sounds nice," he said finally. He asked to be excused and pushed back his chair and hopped off as I too stood. We walked out past the tree and he paused, looking at it and the presents under it. He took one and rattled it and frowned. "I hope it's not a puzzle," he grumbled.

"Now, don't be ungrateful. There are children who don't get presents for Christmas," I said. "They may get a pair of socks or something small."

"Well, they can have this," he said and let the present fall out of his hands. I sighed; ah the feisty young Master was rearing his head.

"How about we sit in the garden room and play chess? Something different."

He looked at me and frowned. He looked at me and then nodded. "Can I carry the board?"

"Yes, Vincent, you may." And we set off, a potential disaster averted.

A few hours later Lady Phantomhive came into the room and sat beside her son, watching as we finished another game. She clapped her hands and smiled broadly as he took my King and I conceded.

"Wonderful game! You are getting so good at the game, Vincent," she said. "Now, we must prepare for tonight. I can not wait to dance with you. Mr. Hyde has been telling me how wonderful of a dancer you are."

He beamed and nodded, getting out of the seat and flinging his arms around her neck. "I can dance better than anyone!"

"I'm sure you do. There may even be a few young ladies who would love a young man like you to dance with them."

He thought about it a moment and looked at me. "Mr. Hyde?"

"Yes?"

"Could I dance with you?"

I blushed and chuckled. "I don't see why not. The student may show his teacher what he has learned."

The pair left and I cleaned up the chess set, bringing them back to the Library. I too got dressed and went down to the servants' area and looked over the various dishes and sheer amount of cutlery that was laid out. I chuckled; there seemed to be enough knives and forks.

"Anything I can help you find, Mr. Hyde," the Cook asked.

"No Mister Baldroy, I am simply taking it all in. I have worked at many houses, but none as grand and noble as the Phantomhives."

He chuckled and chewed on the end of his unlit cigarette. "They know how to throw the parties," he said finally. "Before the Master got married, there were a few big ones. It was exciting! And the early years of when the Lady moved in, well there were parties well into the night. Dancing and drinking, and the dresses. It's good to see a proper ball come back."

"They haven't had one in a while?"

"No, not with the goings on with the young Master. I suspect you have a great deal to do with why there is a Winter Ball."

"I merely give the young Master a firm hand and no room to budge," I responded. "Well, if all is well, I shall go up and make sure my tutelage is being adhered to."

I parted with the servants and noted that the extra staff were all dressed in the same black uniform and had a red and green bowtie or hair bow. I heard the band tuning as I pushed the door open and ran my fingers in my hair, smoothing it back and readying myself for the evening festivities.