Hello lovlies!
Got such amazing reviews on chapter 10! I'm so glad you all loved what I did with the Viscount! WELL. The mystery continues!
Enjoy,
Majix
Mornings were all very much the same for the Earl of Phantomhive. However, on this particular morning, the pale boy within the soft and comforting blankets awoke to a different scene. Sunlight streamed through the glass panes of the window and the boy sighed as he stretched lazily within the comfort of his sheets. For the first time in months, he felt rested. The Earl didn't feel more tired than the night before.
The night before.
He bolted up in bed and stared into the mirror opposite of him. His hair was disheveled, and his night clothes rumpled. The makeup that'd once made his eyes pop was streaked across his lids and the bridge of his nose, making his cheeks sparkle. The bluenette could see the faint shadow of smeared lipstick against the corner of his mouth and his eyelashes were clumped with makeup. Within the whirlwind of chaos, his sapphire blue eyes sat wide and brimming with alarm.
Despite the disaster of last night's operation, Ciel felt completely rested. The constant dark circles that stubbornly lingered below his eyes seemed less dark and though he was still extremely pale, his complexion appeared more normal and the Earl ceased to appear sickly.
The boy's thoughts turned towards the end of the night and as he recalled the bars, the blankets felt all together smothering. He kicked them away and scooted further up the bed, practically glaring at himself through the reflection.
He couldn't begin to understand how he felt. How could he have revealed that much of himself to Sebastian? Memories swam alongside his senses and the boy could almost feel the reluctant return of his hug. He could feel the demon's arms around him and despite the initial hesitation, he'd felt safe. Always safe with Sebastian.
The revelations he'd fought so hard to avoid and ignore refused to disappear, and beneath all his disbelief, they burrowed deeper. Ciel could practically feel them; skimming along his cortex, gliding over his thoughts before sinking their barbs into his peace of mind.
A soft knock sounded at the door and Ciel's head snapped up in startled surprise. It had to be Sebastian. There was nobody else it would've been and as the bluenette cast his thoughts to the being behind the thick wood he didn't even hear himself acknowledge the demon, much less bid him entrance.
A bolt of panic arced through his body as he caught sight of the ghostlike male. He wasn't ready to see Sebastian. That much was obvious to the boy but there wasn't much he could do about it, aside from merely avoiding him.
The black clad butler silently rolled the cart into the young Master's bedroom and effortlessly closed the door behind him without breaking stride. Deep ruby eyes sought the Master's face in anticipation but the boy's face was blank and neutral. Disappointment flickered through the ancient before he turned his back to the bluenette.
"Young Master, I've brou-"
"Get out."
The butler glanced back at the boy, his eyes still glassy with deep thought, "Pardon, my Lord."
Ciel met his gaze, the glassy sheen turning flat and icy, "I said get out."
Sebastian's lips thinned and he bowed respectfully, "As you wish, my Lord, but if you'd allow me a moment of your time."
He grabbed the morning's newspaper and presented it to the boy with a courteous bow. Ciel glared at the demon before snatching the paper from his grasp and throwing it open, quickly scanning the front page.
Blood turned to ice and Ciel couldn't keep the shock from his face.
"JACK THE RIPPER STRIKES AGAIN!"
The boy's eyes darted across the grisly photograph before scanning the article below, with an ever sinking heart, for any mention of himself, the Viscount or any of the other parties involved.
"The Scotland Yard arrived at the residence of Viscount Alabastor Druitt late Friday evening with the intent to arrest him under the counsel of an anonymous tip. The yet-to-be-named source of information told the men of Scotland Yard that the Viscount was directly related to the ongoing Jack the Ripper case, though whether that association was as a suspect or a person of interest is unclear. Police entered the Viscount's residence at the end of his annual Season ending party only to find that he was nowhere to be found. In the absence of the charitable Viscount, yet another woman fell victim to Jack the Ripper. Scotland Yard refuses to comment on what this means for their case, but we do know that Mary Potter was found just a few short kilometers from the missing Viscount's residence."
The paper went on to recount the previous attacks as well as Jack's most recent kill, making the Earl droop with disappointment, as well as frustration. It ended with the briefest of mentionings concerning the unconscious men and women in one of the Viscount's many hidden rooms but Ciel wasn't surprised in the least.
Anger ravaged his senses and the impossibility of it all seemed to mock him. How could the man have escaped?! Sebastian himself took care of the Viscount. Was it possible that he failed? Was the Viscount truly Jack the Ripper? Did he have an accomplice? Were the circumstances surrounding his suspected guilt merely chance? Pure and simple coincidence, perhaps? No, no, no. It was all wrong.
To many variables, and not enough constants.
Ciel threw the paper aside and turned to address Sebastian, only to find that the stealthy butler had already vacated the room, leaving the Earl to his own thoughts.
What he really wanted to do was throw a fit. As immature as it sounded, there was no other way to describe what the bluenette boy wanted. He wanted to scream and rip books from their shelves. He longed to shatter all the delicate China and leave the mess for Sebastian, but that wasn't who he was. He was the Earl of Phantomhive, and as such, he wasn't allowed to throw temper tantrums.
Oh but how he hated to lose.
He felt his eyes narrow at the thought of not winning and the boy decided that it just wouldn't do. But where did that leave him, exactly? What information could be trusted and what had to be scrapped and recollected? Was it back to square one? No, it would hardly be necessary to start from the beginning.
The Earl slid out of bed and stood with a groan as he stretched, wincing slightly as he rolled his shoulders. Everything was stiff and the muscles around his ribcage were especially tender. From the corset, no doubt, but Ciel merely sighed and gave a halfhearted yawn before glancing around.
The bluenette was still unused to being left on his own in the early waking hours and he felt a pang of loneliness. It was just him. Of course there were others in the manor; Angelina, Lau, all three of the servants, four if you counted Tanaka, and Sebastian of course, but the boy still felt lonely. It wasn't uncommon for him to remain in Sebastian's presence for a good part of the morning, sometimes well into the afternoon, but on this day, in the wake of his absence, the young Phantomhive felt a bit lost.
Ciel frowned as he glanced down at his night clothes. It wouldn't do for him to attend breakfast in such informal wear but he didn't know how one went about choosing their daily outfit. That was Sebastian's job, but it couldn't really be all that difficult, could it?
Ciel threw open the doors to his wardrobe and practically groaned aloud. Almost everything was navy blue, grey, black, green or a shade in between and the blue eyed teen realized with a start that he had no clue how to choose what shirt went with which trousers. He wasn't exactly sure of the height difference in his shoes or what shoes were expected to be seen with what style.
He sighed in frustration and closed the doors with a bit more force than intended.
Of course, he could always call Sebastian back up and tell him to pick out his clothes but the boy's pride growled in warning. He didn't want to rely on the butler, but as he peaked back into the closet he knew that unless he wished to look like a fool, he'd have no choice.
However, that didn't mean that he had to let Sebastian know that. Not in the slightest.
The Earl smirked contently at the silent compromise, "Sebastian."
The boy's voice was barely above his normal volume but the demon heard it none the less. His internal frustrations raged on as he swiftly climbed the main staircase and made his way through the halls. He'd heard the sudden flutter of the bluenette's heart as he'd read this mornings headline but that didn't account for the previous attitude.
Sebastian was once again puzzled by the boy. He was like a flurry of thunder wrapped in a silk bow. All appeared well but every so often, the boom of colliding emotions could be heard. However, as of late, the thunder seemed to become restless and the butler, despite all his knowledge and his experience, couldn't seem to pin point the exact issue.
That alone was starting to drive the man crazy.
Aside from that, all the excitement seemed to be centered around the case, but the elder knew that wasn't the problem. Their little mix up certainly wasn't helping, but that wasn't what had the Master knotted up so tightly.
A soft knock at the door alerted Ciel to the demon's presence and he bid him entrance with a lazily drawn word.
"You summoned me, my Lord?"
"Run me a bath, Sebastian, and prepare my attire for the day."
The butler nodded with a small smile, "Of course, young master. Will you be requiring anything else?"
"Indeed, will you retrieve my case files and make sure they're waiting in my study?"
The butler was momentarily baffled by the small shift in the bluenette's attitude. He wasn't even sure that Ciel realized he'd asked him to do something rather than just ordering it, but the demon didn't comment, "Very good, my Lord."
He bowed his head and went to run Ciel's bath, leaving the boy to his own thoughts within the other room. As the warm water poured into the bottom of the large clawfooted tub, Sebastian wondered if he should let his master in on the secret.
He was so unbelievably close to Jack but the boy just couldn't make the connection. One would think that after summoning a demon he'd be more open to alternate possibilities but it seemed that Ciel hadn't made the jump yet. Was it really so hard to believe that humans weren't the only intelligent beings that roamed the Earth? Of course he'd come to understand that humans were far more ignorant than most other creatures but the depth of that ignorance often surprised him.
The butler abandoned his thoughts as the Earl's soft footsteps echoed faintly in the background, alerting the demon to his presence. Sebastian smirked and turned around to undo the young master's buttons only to watch with shock as the boy slowly unbuttoned his shirt with steady fingers.
"My, my. Unbuttoning our own clothes now, my Lord?"
The comment slipped out before he could stop it but Ciel smirked, his cheeks betraying his inner embarrassment as they flushed a pale pink, "Shut up, Sebastian."
He'd barely finished stripping down before Sebastian picked him up and lowered his body into the steamy water. The bluenette let out a soft sigh of content as he sunk down below the water, the previous frustrations of his morning melting away.
"I shall attend to your papers and when I return I'll wash your hair. Is there anything else that you need?"
Ciel shook his head and the moment the butler exited the room, he let his head fall beneath the ripping surface of his bath water. He wasn't the best at holding his breath, most of that having to do with his chronic athsma but in those few moments when he was completely submerged, the boy felt content. Life wasn't as complicated. In that moment, his only two thoughts were his peace of mind and the subconscious reminder that he would need to breathe again soon. All else was but a shadow on the wall, and though he took his work very seriously, it mattered very little in these moments of silence and primal instinct.
He knew he should go up, but the peace felt incredible. It was a luxury that Ciel missed. The steady burn in his lungs continued to increase as the Earl stayed beneath the water and when he could take no more, the boy slid up from beneath the surface, gasping for breath. The air felt cool and refreshing as it expanded within his lungs and he laid his head back against the lip of the tub, enjoying the calm blanket that seemed to wrap around his conscious as he flickered in and out of awareness.
As Ciel let his subconscious take the reigns, he found his thoughts returning to Sebastian again and again. There was no denying that the demon played a very significant role in the bluenette's life, but when did he get so close? Nobody knew more about him than Sebastian. On the topmost level that frightened him more than anything, but just below the surface, it filled him with reassurance. One person, even if that person was a demon, understood him. Somebody could see what happened to him, what changed his life so suddenly, and they didn't condemn him for the choices he made. None of the choices he made; not the ones in his right mind, or in the grips of death.
As Ciel glanced down into his barely visible reflection his thoughts took on a slightly different path. Who was he really, and was that all due to his choices? Was some of it because of Sebastian?
The demon silently entered the room moments after his name had flickered through the boy's thoughts. He watched with rapt attention as the bluenette continued to broad in the cooling water. His eyes were still and serious but they lacked in recognition. Ciel's thoughts were miles and miles away. Not even the presence of a demon could pull him from their depths and in that moment the butler was brimming with curiosity.
The Earl of Phantomhive was a complicated young man, even Sebastian himself could admit this, but he had a steady thought process that never seemed to jam. So as the butler gazed wordlessly to his young Master, he couldn't help but to wonder what had the boy so stuck. What delicate and intricate issue had the boy strung so tightly?
The web of emotions and endless questions began to thicken and clump together before Ciel was brought out of his chaotic mind with the introduction of Sebastian's fingers to his scalp.
"I didn't mean to startle you, young Master."
Ciel waved it off and sank lower in his bath water with a soft and content sigh. He wouldn't admit it but this was one of his all time favorite things. Sebastian added just the right amount of pressure and he never pulled his hair or got soap in his eyes. It was utterly relaxing as the older man's skilled fingers glided up and down his scalp, covering each strand with the faintly scented shampoo.
All faint thoughts of tension quickly abandoned him and Ciel allowed himself to relax against the unwavering edge of the tub. Everything was always so complicated in his world, but this wasn't complicated. This was simple and easy. It was just Sebastian and himself. No words were needed and as the boy allowed the butler to wash his hair, the unwavering block on his thoughts seemed to melt away.
The Viscount seemed like the most logical choice, but in a world that wasn't what it seemed, what role did logic really play in such a situation? The supernatural lingered just behind the scenes and what's to say that someone or something didn't just decide to escape. Was it really so far fetching to believe that Sebastian was the only supernatural entity that walked the Earth?
Just how many demons were there, and what other creatures lingered behind the veil?
The bluenette's eyes hardened and he could feel his heart start to hammer just behind his ribcage as a wave of new possibilities flooded his consciousness, "Sebastian."
The butler's fingers stilled momentarily before continuing, "My Lord?"
"Don't ever lie to me. That's an order. Do you understand?"
A flicker of mischief crossed the demon's features as he began wringing out the excess soap, "Of course."
He was so close. Sebastian could practically feel the dark connections radiating from the Earl's skin. The faint hum of human life, flickers of hidden power coming to a spark. The gift of knowledge.
"Now, Tell me, Sebastian. Are there others like you?"
The satisfied smirk grew, "Demons?"
"Of course. That is what you are, isn't it?"
The tone was mocking but Sebastian noted the true curiosity behind the jab, "Yes, my Lord."
The Earl grew visibly frustrated, "Yes, what, Sebastian?"
"Yes, I am a demon, and yes, there are others like myself."
The flush of a correct theory arced through Ciel and he smoothly continued, "Are there, perhaps, other beings that are similar to you?"
"Similar?"
Ciel sighed in annoyance. He would have to be extremely specific.
"Are there other supernatural beings that have access to Earth?"
Sebastian hummed before covering the bluenette's eyes and pouring a bowl of water over his head, the thick soap gliding effortlessly down the fair blue strands of his hair. Droplettes of shampoo floated along the surface of the water and Ciel huffed, "Sebastian?"
"There are a number of beings that walk the surface without the notice of humans."
Ciel opened his mouth to drive his question home but the demon gave him pause, "If I may, my Lord."
The butler rinsed the rest of the soap from Ciel's hair and wiped the water from his brow, "Are you finished?"
The younger male clentched his jaw as Sebastian danced around his questions but nodded, eager to escape the chilly water.
Goosebumps peppered the boy's milky flesh as Sebastian lifted him out of the water. A soft fluffy towel was wrapped around his body before his feet even hit the floor. Warmth soothed him and he glided into his bedroom ahead of Sebastian.
His chosen clothes sat undisturbed at the end of the bed and Sebastian quickly ran the towel over his companion's body before helping the bluenette into his clothes.
As white gloved fingers steadily buttoned his shirt, Sebastian spoke up, "Not many beings choose to linger within the human plane. I'm here because I was called. Some demons choose to roam and seek their victims randomly."
He straightened the younger male's shirt, smoothing away any wrinkles, "But, there is another creature. Another ancient that actively wanders through your world, but they aren't supposed to deviate from their duty."
Sebastian stood abruptly and snickered, "But what would you expect from savages such as them?"
Ciel looked up at his butler and found himself once again viewing the demon in a different light. He wasn't just a butler. He was more than just an attractive man. He was a supernatural being. A consciousness that'd walked the Earth longer than any mortal could dream. He'd watched humanity grow and mature.
"What exactly are they, Sebastian?"
The butler regarded the boy with a slight smirk, "They're the carriers of the dead."
Ciel's brows furrowed in confusion and Sebastian let out an amused sigh, "Really, young Master, isn't it obvious?"
Sapphire eyes flashed in recognition, "The soul."
A smile curved the elder's lips, "Very good."
Piercing maroon eyes focused on the Earl's face as he circled the teen, "All souls must go somewhere."