.
.
.
.
Mate? Hell no!
Still growling from her previous outburst, her mind was running rampant and wild, everything crashing together and melding in erratic thoughts that were bound to give her a headache. Of all things that could have happened while running around in the past, this was possibly the worst of them, not to mention the most ludicrous.
"My sentiments exactly— however vulgar your statement was."
Oh, why, why couldn't looks kill?
Stewing in frustration, her jaw clenched noticeably, eyes flickering from Ciel's bewildered face, to Sebastian's stone-cold one. "Yeah? Then maybe you shouldn't have, I don't know, pulled that stunt!"
Things like were not supposed to happen to her, or, frankly, at all! Situations of this nature only appeared in cheesy romance novels; people didn't actually have a literal soulmate. Or— whatever this was called.
Why the hell would his power claim her? It was difficult enough to rationalize that a fictional story wasn't so fictional, including it's inhuman aspects. The last thing she wanted was to be tied down to anyone, let alone a demon who ate people!
Okay, technically he ate their souls, but the fact remained that people, to him, were nothing but prey; and to her, he was a giant, stuck-up asshole with murderous tendencies. Seeing as everything else she had read in the journal seemed to be true, it was far from ridiculous to assume think that tidbit had been anything but entirely true as well.
A vein jumping faintly within his forehead signaled his own vexation at the situation, though his voice remained fairly even—if only a tad strained, to a familiar ear. "I assure you, were it under my control, such nonsense never would have occurred."
Bending over slightly, an arm wrapped around her stomach as she laughed, possibly border lining delirious at this point. Snickering still, her posture straightened, and a bit of moisture was wiped from her eye.
"Isn't that rich! A demon who can't control his own power. Fucking hilarious!"
Amongst the other chaos, that was enough to provide a distraction, if only momentarily. The Earl stiffed, sharing a hardened glance to his butler, before pinning her with his stare. Y'know, for a kid, he really had intimidation down.
"—What did you say?"
Busted.
Realizing the gravity of her blunder, she played with her braid nervously, twirling the loose strands at the end around her finger. "Ah— nothing?"
Never before in her life had the sound of a door being locked sounded so ominous.
xxx
It had taken some careful, detailed explanation to get the two of them to stop snarling (well, Ciel wasn't snarling so much as the demon) at her with questions. The entire time he made sure to shoot queries her way that were meant to try and tip her up, in case she was an incredibly good liar.
Given his nature, she was sure he could tell she was being truthful— and was only trying to give out some kind of punishment.
As if it was her fault.
Between interrogating her, his eyes were burning into her, tearing her piece by piece, trying to decipher her worth. Mia did not need to be a rocket scientist to know that she was not going to measure up to whatever bat-shit standards he had.
In a way, she almost wished that she did, she was everything he ever wanted— just so she could reject and humiliate him.
They were only in silent agreement of one thing: neither wanted the other. Of course, he held the upper hand, with knowledge of the situation, while she did not. Humans married who they wanted to, if they wanted to. Arranged marriages were nearly dead, and free-will was in abundance. People did what they wanted, when they wanted to, without needing to answer to another.
By every account, this was a very rude awakening from that life.
"Like I already said a hundred times, I found a journal — your journal, Phantomhive — went to sleep off a headache, and woke up here. Obviously the stupid thing was cursed, or possessed, or….whatever you want to call it. That's it. Can I go now? Someone's scowling face is really getting on my nerves."
That particular someone immediately straightened his tailcoat, face once more schooled into a cool indifference; even if his eyes were still burning like hot coals.
The only potentially good thing about this ridiculous shtick, was that he probably couldn't kill her. Maybe. Honestly, she had no goddamn clue. But, that didn't mean 'accidents' couldn't occur. And really, she wouldn't put it passed him to just let other people do his work for him.
"I was not scowling."
"No, you're right, looking like an ass is just your default setting. My bad."
If it weren't for Ciel interrupting, Sebastian's growling might have shook the house with it's intensity. That was pretty terrifying, actually, only hammering home just how fucked up the entire thing was.
How did she get tied to, of all things, a monster?
"Sebastian," The boy snapped, not entirely shaken; clearly he was more used to seeing the demon's ferocity. "You will get ahold of yourself and act accordingly. I will allow your request so that this madness can be sorted out, between the both of you. Then, we will find a way to ensure that you, Mia, return back to the proper time and place, lest the entire timeline of events that was meant to occur become more muddled than they may already have been. Understood?"
A gloved hand covered the demon's heart (ha!), a well-rehearsed, "Yes, My Lord," escaping the tense figure.
Dark blue eyes turned to her expectantly. Fighting the urge to sigh, she nodded, if somewhat reluctantly, arms still crossed under her bust. "Fine." That was about as good as he was going to get, and knowing that, Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose, and dismissed them.
Once the door was shut again, a breath of relief escaped as he sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Never-ending drama, the lot of them."
xxx
Unable to help herself, she reached behind her back and scratched the now itchy surface between her shoulder blades the best she could. Which, wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
At least, until her hands were smacked away. "Stop that behavior immediately."
Now it was her turn to scowl, "If I want to scratch my back because of a stupid mark you put there, I damn well will."
"It is healing. If you continue to pick at it, it will take longer to heal, and you will risk infection. And yes, you are correct — it is my mark, therefore, if it must be on the likes of you, I would prefer it to look exceptional as possible, and not marred by inflamed, damaged skin."
Okay, why the fuck does everyone like him again?
Hands clenching into a fist, her nails bit into the flesh of her palm, doing little to ease her flaring temper. "Listen, I'm not your damn property—"
"—On the contrary, you may as well be." His smirk was insufferable, almost as much as his haughty attitude, and grace in which he did everything: even something as simple as opening the door to her room was made to look like art.
Stupid demon.
"Make no mistake, I would have preferred a much more suitable being, but, if only for the time being, you are mine to care for, or discard, as I see fit. Be grateful I have not chosen the latter— yet."
Beginning to undue her braid, she snorted, "Gee, I'm so sorry you lost your pick of the supernatural creature litter and are tethered to a human. It must be so embarrassing."
"It is not entirely because of the fact that you are human. A demon being given a human for a mate is not unheard of; in fact, there has been a steady increase of potential mates that are human for some time. And, while, yes, I am thoroughly embarrassed, I feel so more because you have no power; no status; no recognition; nothing that makes a human in this world worthwhile. That would have been enough to gradually quell the shock of my mate being mortal, though it would, indeed, still have been rather upsetting to a degree. However, the fact that you are human with no admirable qualities is only, as they say, adding insult to injury."
Her face was positively burning, the heat from her anger more than just visible by the red that colored her cheeks; it was tangible in the very air they breathed, and he knew it, and seemed to be satisfied by it.
Misery certainly loved company, it seemed. "Congratulations," Her tone was mocking, biting even, "….I hate you. Now, get the hell out of my room before I figure out how to strangle you with bedsheets."
His laughter echoed even long after the door had been shut. "I welcome you to try, little mate."
There was no doubt in her mind that such an endearment was supposed to be just that, endearing; sweet; a gesture of affection. Yet the way he said it, there was no denying that it was an insult, a reminder of their current predicament, and how much they dually loathed it.
Mind still running at a million miles per hour, sleep did not come that night at all. Instead, she lay in the bed, hoping, wishing she would just open her eyes and be in her own bed. Even the sounds of the city would be welcomed to the unfamiliar, and nearly eerie quietness of the countryside.
Here, there wasn't a computer or smartphone she could kill time on. Internet, she mentally sighed longingly, how I miss you.
Bare legs swinging over the side (she'd long since changed back into the now-cleaned shorts and t-she came in here with), Mia decided she may as well entertain herself a little bit. And nothing said mournfully passing the time like a nightcap!
Moving as quietly as possible throughout the house, particularly when passing Sebastian's quarters (if he was even there), she made her way into the kitchen. Even in the middle of the night, the place smelled absolutely amazing still. How was it in any way fair that a soul-eating demon was so good at cooking?
Opening and closing cabinets with care, she was rather displeased to find that there was no alcohol to be seen. Sure, Ciel was still well under the drinking age, but it had to be here! Think, where do people keep alcohol, if not in the kitchen?
Wine cellar!
Her assent had been correct, which is how she found herself happily on the kitchen counter, with a bottle of red-wine. She would have preferred a daiquiri, or, maybe even a mudslide, but the wine definitely wasn't a bad choice.
"Must I add 'alcoholic' to my assessment of you?"
Not even bothering to turn her head to see the figure in the doorway, she poured herself another small glass of wine, and brought it to her lips. "Liking a drink or two now and then doesn't make someone an alcoholic, genius. Drinking it like water, all day, every day, does. By the way, maybe you should be more concerned with the Earl's sweets intake than my alcohol ones. The kid is going to become an early diabetic at this rate."
He blinked, obviously a tad surprise, and dare she say, confused by the addition of something that he was not familiar with. "Diabetic?"
"Yeah, you know, diabetes? It's a disease. Basically, it means that you have high levels of sugar in your blood, which isn't a good thing. It causes a lot of problems later in life, or earlier, if someone were to, say, eat sweets morning, lunch, and dinner every day. Ciel may not have an ounce of fat on him, but I'm willing to bet he's a borderline diabetic already. But, who knows. You'll probably devour his soul before that happens. Lucky him."
Walking closer, the demon promptly took the bottle of wine, much to her protest, and popped the cork back in. "I will be eating his soul, not his flesh."
"About that," Her eyes lifted from the small remainder of wine she had left, gaze flickering over to him. No longer seething with anger, it was surprisingly easy to speak candidly without the urge to bash something over his head. Not that it would hurt, or do any real damage. "The difference doesn't make much of a difference to me."
"It bothers you."
"No shit."
Sebastian's head cocked to the side, "But you do not care for the Young Lord."
"So? Caring about him has nothing to do with what you are. I don't fancy living the rest of my life with a glorified, excused murderer, thanks."
Finishing off the rest of her wine, she hopped off the counter, and moved toward the sink. Behind her, the butler was surprisingly quiet; contemplative, more than likely. "Speaking of…you know. What can be done about it? Is there a way to get rid of it?"
His hand extended, and she handed him the wine glass, so he could put it away properly. As it was, she needed to get onto the counter to reach the shelf, and he simply could not have her dirtying the place any more than it was already. "I am unsure. That is something that demons do not normally do, after all. I will need to ask those who have been alive far longer than I to see if it is possible, or if attempting to will be in vain."
"….Then, in the meantime?"
"In the meantime," Sebastian trailed, pulling various items from the pantry and laying them out upon the island counter, "It would likely be best to be somewhat civil to one another."
"Let me guess, a little blue-haired boy told you that?"
The corners of his mouth twitched faintly upward in controlled amusement. "More or less, yes, he did advise such a thing should occur. I can understand why, of course. It would make the entire arrangement much more bearable if neither of us were constantly at each other's throats— both figuratively and literally."
Did her little sheet comment reach Ciel's ears? Oops.
"I really don't want to get to know you."
"Unfortunately, sooner or later, it is bound to happen. I am not suggesting that, suddenly, we partake on romantic outings and the like. Merely that there is a subdued level of hostility."
Rubbing her eyes, sleepiness finally beginning to settle in, she waves him off slightly, with a lazy flick with her wrist. "Okay, fine, whatever. I'm going to bed. You do— whatever it is your doing."
"Why, I am making some preparations for breakfast, of course."
"At this hour?"
"My day does not end simply because the sun went down. I suggest you, however, do retire. There is an early morning awaiting you, with plenty of things to keep you occupied for the better part of the day."
Groaning, she tried not to drag her feet too much as she left the kitchen, grumbling under her breath. "You really are evil."
A/N: Sometimes, Ciel is more of an adult than anyone, Sebastian and Mia included. Who said youths can't be mature and wise? Hope you enjoyed this bit. Lots of Sebastian / Mia interaction in this one! I managed to squeeze this out in-between cleaning! I hope everyone is enjoying his or her weekend so far! And, maybe, just maybe with the right motivation, you can see another chapter up tonight or tomorrow! (A few more reviews & favs, maybe? /wink) But seriously, thank you for the interest in this story regardless! And if you're like, gosh, why is Sebastian such an asshole? Well, it's because demons are assholes. He's just really good at being charming and pretty so it's easy to forget. Never fear, there is still hope for him yet!