It is past nightfall; the street is pitch black as it is so late at night that even the streetlamps are switched off as the cab pulls up and drops us off at the townhouse of Dr. Durless. The outside is beautiful, each bush and shrub is well manicured and the stonework leading up to the red lacquered door was pristine, not one crack in any slab.

We meander up the large stone steps and the red painted door starts to open and an elderly gentleman appears. His wrinkled eyes widen as they fall on Ciel, who is still draped in my coat. In an instant; his arms fly open and surround Ciel, holding him tightly.

"Young master, thank God you're all right." He breathes out. Ciels' tiny arms reach out and embrace him back. I wonder what kind of child he was before all of this occurred – granted it's been less than twelve hours since we met but he's never let his sullen façade crack, not once, but here, here he is smiling and tears start to fall freely from his left eye.

After the moment, the old man finally lets him go and he turns to me, dropping his arms to his side.

"You must be Mr. Michaelis. I am the house steward for the Phantomhive family, Tanaka. Thank you for returning the young master Ciel back to us." He says just as he bows deeply. I am taken aback by the way he shows his gratitude, it is different from what I normally receive, which is an uncomfortable out pouring of emotions as they hug me but I welcome this, favoring it.

"It was nothing." That's all I can think of as a reply, as he straightens himself upright again.

He outstretches his arm and ushers us into the townhouse.

Stepping through and taking it all in, I see that it's rather elegant on the inside, tastefully done – although, I'm not sure what I was expecting. The walls are painted a pale cream color to match the slate grey or cream furniture and fixings. At first glance, it seems that the décor is quite bland but there are vibrant, bold red accents throughout and they stand boldly against the subdued walls.

Red must be a color Dr. Durless finds an affinity with as the theme is carried throughout the house.

"You must be tired." Tanaka says as he bends down towards Ciel who nods. He must be exhausted; it has truly been a long night's journey into the morning as we were at the hospital for a lot longer than anticipated.

"Actually, I'm famished – is there anything to eat?" He struggles to stifle a yawn.

"What would the young master like?"

Ciel thinks for a moment and then a devious smile creeps onto his lips.

"Cake?" His eye is large and bright as he looks up at the old man. It's strange; around Tanaka, his whole demeanor has become all round childlike as he voices his request.

"Of course, I've already prepared your favorite chocolate cake for your arrival." Ciels' face brightens at the comment. "Why don't you have a bath and I'll bring a piece to your room?" He offers. Nodding, Ciel starts to hobble off through the hall.

Dr. Durless has already prepared everything for our stay whilst we were in the hospital so Ciel already knows where to go. I start to follow him but a hand stops me, looking over my shoulder, Tanaka motions for me to follow him. My mouth drops open to say something but he shakes his head and hushes my action.

I trail behind him as he leads me into the kitchen.

He walks over to the island in the middle of the room, moving to the other side. Bending over slightly, he opens a drawer, pulling out a book and sliding it over the countertop towards me.

"He is going to need you more than you know." He states calmly.

"I don't understand."

He hums softly to himself.

"As you are now going to serve the young master, I think it's best if you understand something about the Phantomhive family."

"Okay?"

"It's all contained in this journal." He pauses for a moment as he reflects over something, "I have survived two generations of Phantomhives and almost a third – my time here is done. It's your turn now." With that, he turns and goes to the cabinet, opening it, he pulls out a small plate and sits it on the counter. "You should attend to the young master and get him ready for his bath." He advises with his back still to me.

"Yes, right, and where is that, exactly?"

"Straight down the hall and to your left."

Taking the book, I make my way down the hall and to the left as instructed.

Popping my head through the door, I spy Ciel, sat on top of the bed – waiting.

"Sebastian?" He seems surprised by my appearance.

"Yes?"

"Where's Tanaka?"

"He sent me in here to get you ready for your bath."

He shrugs, "I guess that's fine, you'll have to learn how to do this now anyway."

"About that, why didn't you tell me about your plan to have me be your butler?"

"You wouldn't have gone through with it."

I sit the journal down on the desk by the window and move to stand in front of him.

"You don't know that. I have been known to take on whatever task my contractor asks of me. It is a part of my job."

"I'm sorry for second guessing you." He apologizes as he looks away.

"Apology accepted. Now, what do I do?"

His eye darts back over to me.

"You have drawn a bath before, haven't you?" His tone is incredulous as he arches his brow at me.

"Actually, I'm a shower kinda guy." I retort playfully, he frowns, I suppose he's not in the mood.

"It's simple." He starts, "First you take the rubber stopper and you put it in the plug hole at the bottom to stop the water from draining. Then you turn on the faucets to fill said bath tub with water and-"

"You can stop at any time." I groan, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, you seemed lost on the concept." He scoffs as he leans back onto his elbows.

Jesus, I wonder who is trying to kill this kid? They're going to be seriously disappointed about wasting their time because I may just beat them to it.

He stares at me curiously.

"What now?"

"Part of getting me ready is undressing me."

"What?" I choke on my own saliva, "You're fucking with me, right?"

"Watch your language and no I'm not." He states seriously. "Go draw the bath and I will wait here." He demands.

I start to head towards the en suite bathroom. Yeah, I'll draw the bath, and then I'll hold your head down in it until the last oxygen bubble reaches the surface – problem solved. I grumble silently to myself.

The en suite is huge, and bigger than my bedroom in my flat. Against the far right wall, there is a free standing bathtub with beautiful porcelain faucets that point into it. Rolling up my selves, I put the plug in the hole and turn on the tap, letting the water pour in. Looking around, I find a bottle of bubble bath solution; maybe the little lord would enjoy a bubble bath? I think to myself as I unscrew the lid and pour in the solution. I watch as it starts to froth up and as soon as it hits an appropriate level, I turn off the tap, grab a large looking towel from the shelf nearby and head back into the room.

Tanaka is there, just clearing away the plate of what I assume to be the requested piece of cake. The pair seemed to be discussing something as they talk in hushed tones and, as I come into view, they stop quickly.

"Your bath is ready." I announce.

"Thank you Sebastian." He glances over to Tanaka who just grins broadly. "Tanaka has already arranged a new uniform for you, which you will wear starting tomorrow, as well as your contract of employment."

"Thank you." I nod, that was fast. Tanaka leaves the room as I hold out the towel in front of Ciel, turning my head away.

"What are you doing?"

"I am not undressing you." I state firmly.

"Fine. I appreciate that this is new to you so I'll give you a pass tonight but only for tonight." He sighs as he starts to undress. Once finished, he takes the towel and wraps it around himself. I escort him into the bathroom, turning my head again as he goes into the tub.

"It feels hot."

I turn to him and see him still standing in the middle of the tub.

"I'm sure it's fine." I try to assure him.

He hesitates for a moment then tentatively sits down.

"AHHH!" He screeches, "It's boiling!"

I quickly turn on the cold water tap.

"I am so sorry!" I apologize as I try to splash the cold water in his direction.

"Didn't you test the temperature?"

"Truthfully no." I admit as I dip my hand beneath the surface of bubbles and into the water. He reaches over and pulls my head towards him, dunking me in the scolding hot, soapy water.

Losing my footing, I slip further into the tub and then fall backwards. "You little bastard!" I shout as splutter water all over the place.

A wry smile finds its way onto his lips.

"I told you it was hot." He smirks as he folds his arms across his chest.

Keep calm, I can do this – I will not kill this boy. I do like a challenge and Ciel certainly is one.

Clearing my throat and running my hands through my wet hair, I start to stand back up again, rolling my shoulders in the process. Ciel looks scared as he watches me come towards him. Scared? He fucking should be.

"You would be very wise not to try that again." I warn as I turn off the cold water tap. He sits motionless, seemingly afraid to breathe.

Walking behind him, I crouch down and place my hand on his shoulder and he flinches.

"What are you doing?" He asks me dubiously.

"I'm checking your back."

"Why?"

"The doctor warned that if it's not checked it'll get infected." I gently touch his back and he jolts sharply.

"Don't touch me!" He hisses.

"I have to check your back." I insist as I lean forward to try again. Ciel slams himself against the edge of the tub and showers me with water. The bubble solution starts to irritate and burn my eyes.

"I said, do not touch me." He growls.

"Fine!" I throw my hands up and I start to stand to my feet. "At least let me help you out."

"No, I can do it. Just leave me a moment." He barks.

Fine by me.

Grabbing another towel, I leave the bathroom and march back into the bedroom. I am dripping wet with water, after being dunked and subsequently splashed, and I shake myself off to stop my clothing from sticking to me. What a nightmare.

As I enter the bedroom, I see Tanaka was back, laying some clothing down on the bed.

"I heard the commotion so I took the liberty of finding something for you to change into. It may be a bit small but hopefully, it fits." He heard us alright.

"Thanks." I say as he bows slightly and starts to leave the room. "Is he always like this?"

He stops at the doorway and shakes his head sadly.

"No. I wish you could have met the young master before..." He trails off for a moment, "he was such a happy child." He concludes before he leaves the room.

A happy child? Well, that's a stark difference to what I see now. Has he really changed that much?

Neither wasting any time nor wanting to stay in these wet clothes any further, I change into my new set quickly. Simple black slacks, crisp white shirt, black fitted silk waistcoat and matching tie. There is a suit jacket but considering it's one in the morning, I suspect I won't need it just yet.

Sitting down on the bed, to finish retying my shoelaces, I hear a loud crash from the bathroom. Leaping to my feet and racing inside, my eyes land on a naked Ciel, huddled in a pile on the wet floor. Grabbing another towel, I rush over to him and surround him. I notice the wounds on his back start to open and weep slightly; they really need to be tended to. Squatting down behind him, I wrap the towel around him delicately and lift him up in a half embrace as he leans back into me.

"What happened?" I keep my voice as soft as possible as I gently dab him with the towel around his shoulders and neck, taking great care to not touch his wounds.

"I slipped. My legs just gave way." He sighs heavily, wincing occasionally as the fibers of the towel grazed past a wound or bruise.

"I know you don't want me to psychically touch you but I really need to dress these." My voice is as sweet and as honeyed as I can make it. I lean back and try to stand up again, holding my hand out to help him up as well but he refused.

"I can stand on my own." He tries to move away from me again but collapses.

This time, I'm mad.

Grabbing him and tightly squeezing around his upper arms, I lift him to his feet.

"You hired me to protect you and that's all that I'm trying to do. Do not waste my time here because I can assure you, looking after a spoiled little brat is not my idea of fun."

He looks at me blankly as I ease my grip on him, "Now, will you let me help you or not?" He nods solemnly and I exhale loudly, completely exasperated by the whole thing. "Okay then."

I kneel down in front of him and finish carefully patting him dry as he stands there silently with a sheepish look on his face. As I finish, the strangest gurgling noise emits from his stomach and I look up at him curiously.

"Are you hungry?" I ask. He nods in reply. "Okay, well I can try to make you something?"

"Try?"

"I don't really know how to cook."

"How do you eat?"

"I don't on the whole but when I do, it's a take away."

"What can you make?"

I think for a moment.

"Well, I can try to make scrambled eggs, if you like?"

"Fine." He resigns. I smile politely as I wrap the towel around his waist, taking care to not touch him with my hands as I tuck the ends in together, neatly.

"Can you walk?" I inquire.

"I'm not getting on your back again." He snorts.

"No, this time, I was going to give you my arm." I hold out my arm and he balances himself against me as I guide him back into the bedroom. He plops himself down on the bed as I notice that Tanaka has already left out a nightshirt. Thank you Tanaka.

Draping the shirt over his shoulders, he slides his arms through the sleeves and I start to work my way through the buttons, starting from the top down. When I finish, I reach underneath his shirt and start to tug at the towel. Ciels' whole body flinches and he grips the duvet tightly. I sigh as I remove the towel from his waist, sliding it down and off completely. As I fold it, I see that he's looking away, biting his lower lip and still completely tensed up.

I don't know what I can do to set his mind at ease. We're going to be working closely together for the foreseeable future and I really need him to start to trust me or this will never work. I place the towel over the back of the chair next to his desk and I stand in front of him, waiting for him to look at me. It takes a while but finally he turns to me and I drop down on to one knee, placing my right hand over my heart as my eyes lock into his.

"I don't know what you must think of me, especially after what you saw me do yesterday but please be assured, I am not like those people and I will never harm you." I pause for a moment as I observe him, his body starts to relax and his face begins to soften. "As I said to you the moment we made this contract, I am your soldier and I will fight for no one but you. I will be your chess piece, your pawn – move me however you see fit. I will not do anything without your order or command. Most importantly, Ciel, you can feel safe with me, you are safe with me. This, I promise you."

With that, his whole body relaxes and he loses his grip on the duvet.

I do not know why, especially as he is an unmitigated nightmare, but I feel an overwhelming desire to protect him and keep him safe. I don't know what he has been through but I do know that my sense of justice compels me to help him achieve his revenge. I start to stand and bow slightly; which is something that I have observed from Tanaka.

"Now, if you'll excuse me young master, I shall go and prepare your eggs." I start to leave the room but I can feel his eye still on me, following me as I walk out of the door.

...

In the kitchen, I hunt around for anything resembling a frying pan. Everything here is copper plated and in pristine condition. Either Tanaka has the ability to keep things immaculate or Dr. Durless just doesn't cook – considering, by her own admission, that she's never here, I assume it's the latter rather than the former. Finally finding a cast iron skillet with a little bit of wear, I put it on the stove and turn on the heat. This shouldn't be so hard; I've seen it done several times before on cooking shows. I just add the eggs and milk – simple.

Assembling the ingredients and adding some touches à la the Food Network UK, I have the eggs in the pan cooking away. As I stir them, it dawns on me; perhaps he would enjoy a cup of tea? Tea, the great comforter, the hug in a mug as the adverts would have us believe. I never really cared for the stuff myself but, like the eggs, it can't be too hard to put together, I just add the teabag to some hot water – even simpler.

I fill a nearby kettle with water and click it on. A strong pungent smell hits my nose and I look around for what it could be… the eggs! I head back to the stove and switch it off. Picking up the pan, I immediately drop it as I burn my hand on the hot iron handle, it lands on the stove with a clang and the kettle starts to boil over – I must have filled it with too much water as there is a pool of hot water underneath it and running down the countertop, dripping down the sides. I look around for a dishcloth and see one neatly folded over the handle of the oven. Grabbing it, I move to clean up the liquid and in my haste; I knock over several glass bottles of olive oil, sending some of them to the ground, shattering oil all over the place.

"What on Earth is going on in here?" I look over towards the door and see Ciel as he comes into the kitchen. He walks over to the counter, pulling out a nearby stool and climbing on top of it, watching me as I basically destroy his Aunts' kitchen.

"Young master, what uh, what are you doing here?" I blow the stray strands of hair from out of my face as I try to compose myself, slipping slightly from the oil on the ground – this is not my finest moment.

"You were making such a racket." He huffs as he rests his elbows on the marble top and puts his chin in the palms of his hands as he observes me.

I grab the plate I took out earlier and dish out the eggs. Putting a tea bag into a mug and pouring in whatever was left of the hot water, I let it steep for a moment and I dig through the drawers for a fork and a teaspoon. Ciel watches me with interest as I continue to flail about the kitchen.

Finally, I present him with the plate of somewhat burnt eggs and the mug of tea, with the bag still in it.

Looking at it nervously, he picks up the fork and spears some of the tufts of egg with the tines. He slowly brings it to his mouth and wraps his lips around it – chewing on it for a moment before he spits it out.

"That's disgusting!" He chokes as he reaches for the tea, "Why does it taste like vinegar?"

"Isn't that what you put in eggs to stiffen up the whites?" Well, that is what I remember from the cooking shows.

"That's for meringues!" He shouts as he glugs down the tea to wash his mouth out. His whole face puckers just before he spews tea all over the counter. "This is horrible!"

"Oh, well I must admit, I've never actually made tea before either."

"Well that's obvious." He snorts as he wipes his mouth on his sleeve.

"I can try to make you something else?" I offer.

"No!" He declares as he slides off the stool, adjusting his nightshirt. "I'm going to bed, clean up this mess and try not to burn the house down." He grumbles as he makes his way out of the kitchen, stopping just at the doorway, bracing himself against it. "You can't cook, you can't make a cup of tea – what can you do?" He sighs exasperatedly.

"I can kill." I state firmly. He glances over his shoulder towards me, "and that's what you hired me for is it not?" A slight smile creeps onto his lips as he turns back to hide it from me. "I can assure you, in that respect, I'm the best." I conclude.

He nods and leaves the kitchen. I lean over the counter and hold my head in my hands. To make this work, I'm going to have to learn how to be a butler, it seems that some research is needed.

…

After cleaning the kitchen and finding a tray, I put a mug of warmed milk on it with various things to sweeten it with. I make my way back to Ciels' room and open the door, seeing him lying on his stomach, sprawled out on the top. I set the tray down on the bedside table and his head rolls over to look at me.

"I brought you some warm milk."

"Is there vinegar in it?" He asks sarcastically.

"No. I added nothing to it, just popped it in the microwave and I even tested the temperature." I smile. He hums in acknowledgement and starts to sit up.

"Is there any honey?"

"I brought some, would you like it?" I hand him the mug as he nods.

"Tanaka normally wouldn't let me have it."

"Then starting tomorrow, I'll do the same." I hand him jar of honey and a spoon and watch as he ladles three spoonfuls into it. It seems his sweet tooth goes beyond cakes as he stirs in his satisfied amount of honey into his milk. A smile appears on his lips as he sips it.

"This is good."

Ah, finally, something he can enjoy.

I will admit, when he's like this, he looks almost fragile. Everything about him is doll like – from his soft porcelain skin, long, lush eyelashes that surround his big blue eye, to his silky slate colored hair that sweeps just over his forehead delicately. Even dressed in this simple nightshirt, he looks sweet, almost innocent.

It's strange, I couldn't put it into actual words if I tried but something makes me want to help him. Not just out of obligation of our contract – I want to protect him. Especially as I reflect on what Tanaka mentioned earlier, he used to be such a happy child. Who ever did this took that from him. They took his parents and stole his childhood and his innocence – soiling him and sullying his family name. How dare they? And for what reason? Truthfully, I can't wait to find out.

I will enjoy finding them, hunting them down and I will get such pleasure in killing them – I will right this wrong.

Ciel hands back the empty mug and I sit it down on the tray. He scoots himself back and I pull the duvet and blankets out from underneath him, allowing him to slip in underneath.

"You are going to have to learn how to cook."

"I know."

"I can't go on living off of milk like a puppy." He snaps. I want to respond in an equally brusque way but I think better of it – I realize that he may be acting like this to see what type of reaction he'll get from me. This time, I'm not going to bite.

"Of course young master." I smile, which seems to annoy him.

I switch on the bedside lamp and walk over to the main light switches on the wall, turning them off.

"Sebastian?" Ciel calls over to me, his voice is low and soft.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any family?"

"No."

"Not a mother or a father?"

"No." I reply as I go back over to him, I start to fluff the pillow from behind his back.

"Hm, well as least we have that in common."

"Is it important to you that we have something in common?"

"No but, um, doesn't it bother you?"

"I don't remember them so I can't say that it does."

"Oh." I watch his face fall as he averts his eyes. I slide the blankets over his lap and he wiggles into the bed to try and make himself comfortable. I can see that he wants to ask me something further but that he keeps desperately fighting the urge. It must weigh on his mind, the death of his parents – he must really miss them.

Standing upright, I smooth down my waistcoat. I'm sure I'll get used to it over time but currently it's cumbersome and feels constrictive.

"Right then young master, good night." I smile as I collect the tray and start to head towards the door.

"Sebastian?" He almost whispers as he stops me.

"Yes?"

"Um… do you think you could stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?" He asks shyly. I turn back to him with a slight grin.

"Of course." Walking back, I go over to the desk and sit the tray down on top of it. I take the nearby chair and move it right by the bed. I feel his eyes follow each movement with interest as I sit down beside him. "I will sit right here until you fall asleep." I confirm. His face starts to relax as he slides himself under the blankets. As soon as his head hits the pillow, I reach over and switch off the bedside lamp, covering the room in darkness.

As I sit here, I start to wonder about what Ciel has been through, I am still curious and I really want to inquire about what happened but I keeping weighing it out in my mind, after the hospital visit – I'm not so sure I really do want to know anymore. What I do know is that as I sit here, I feel like I understand him a bit better, hell, I might even like the kid. That thought alone makes me chuckle slightly.

"Sebastian, could you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep here." He barks.

I take that back.