After the announcement, the gossips and speculations started spreading, all of which, Ciel easily ignored. He focused his attention on work as they were gearing up for summer, which meant new collections and new products.
When he wasn't busy reviewing products and financial reports, Ciel was busy with his duties as the Queen's Watchdog.
"Where are those horde of armies and bodyguards that you boasted about, huh?!" The drug lord kicked Ciel hard on the stomach, causing the teen to bend over and cough.
"I never said anything about any army." Ciel said. He was sitting on the floor with his arms bound behind his back.
The man narrowed his eyes. "Your men slaughtered my men and they will pay!"
"No, no, Mr. Merrick..." Ciel corrected. "It wasn't my men, you see. It was my man." He smirked. "And he's very displeased right now because I should've been home for tea an hour ago. You shouldn't have messed with his schedule. He really doesn't like that." He tsked in disapproval, as if scolding a child.
This only enraged the drug lord even further. He took out a rusty knife and grabbed the teen's hair to pull his head up and pressed the knife against his throat. "You think you're funny, huh?"
"Actually, I have been told I have a terrible sense of humour." Ciel said, still smirking.
"Then let's see if you find this funny!" The man plunged the knife into Ciel's shoulder, causing the earl to cry out in pain.
"Oh, now you've done it..." Ciel said, gritting his teeth. "You've made him angry now."
"Then you better hope he gets here before you bleed to death, you brat!" Merrick removed the knife before letting the younger male fall back to the floor. He kicked Ciel until he was lying on his back.
Ciel wasn't a fool and he was much more mature than he was when he first started this job. In the past, he would've held on until the last second to call for Sebastian because he was too damn proud and he didn't want to show any sign of weakness in front of the demon. But things were different now. He was older and wiser. He had something to live for, and he didn't have to worry about concealing any sign of weakness from the demon anymore, so he opened his mouth, only to scream when Merrick stepped on his injured shoulder.
"Augh!" Ciel cried as a sharp pain flared up from his shoulder.
Merrick laughed. "You're not getting out of this alive!"
"That's..." Ciel panted and fought against the pain. "That's my line... Sebastian!"
Almost instantaneously, Sebastian was there. He took in the scene before him and his eyes flashed in anger. He knocked the drug lord back, sending him flying a few metres away.
"Took you long enough." Ciel said, but he relaxed. He was going to be okay now.
"My apologies, my lord." Sebastian bowed and then he knelt down beside Ciel. He made a quick work on the rope, cutting them easily. "Are you alright?" He asked as he helped Ciel to sit up.
"Yes, I'm fine." Ciel rubbed his wrists together, wincing as the movement caused the pain on his shoulder to flare up.
"Who the hell are you?!" Merrick yelled and took out his gun.
"I am here to fetch my master." Sebastian said. "It appears that you have been treating him quite rudely."
Merrick fired his gun.
"Oh my, you really are rude." Sebastian said, turning to look at Merrick, dropping the bullet from his hand and it clattered on the floor. His glowing eyes staring right at the drug lord.
"What... What the hell are you?!" Merrick asked.
"I am just one hell of a butler." Sebastian said. He reached to untie Ciel's eyepatch. "Now, if the young master would give me his order..."
"Sebastian, this is an order, eliminate him!" Ciel issued the order, his eye glowing.
Sebastian bowed and placed his hand on his chest. "Yes, my lord."
Ciel turned to look at Merrick. "Told you, that was my line."
Merrick died one second after Ciel finished talking.
They arrived at the manor and Sebastian carried Ciel straight to the master bedroom and put him on the bed. Then he worked on taking off Ciel's shirt to take a look at the wound. It was caked with dirt and mud from the boot. Sebastian made his way to the bathroom to get clean washcloth and water. His first priority was to clean the wound as quickly and as much as possible.
"I will run a bath for you. The wound needs to be cleaned properly." Sebastian said before leaving to fill the bathtub with warm water.
Once the bathtub was filled, he picked up Ciel again and carried him to the bathroom.
"Can you stand, sir? Just for a moment..." Sebastian asked.
"Yes..." Ciel nodded and was put on his feet. He swayed, but the demon caught him.
"I'm okay. Just give me a second..." Ciel said as he held onto Sebastian and closed his eyes, waiting for the dizziness to pass. A few seconds later, he was able to stand on his own two feet and was stripped off of the remaining of his clothes before being put inside the tub.
Sebastian worked quickly, cleaning the wound thoroughly. Ciel winced and gasped at the sting, with Sebastian murmuring apologies.
After he was done, Sebastian picked up the earl, dried him, put his robe on him, and carried him back to bed. He went to take the medical box from the cabinet and put on the ointment on the wound and dressed it. Then he dressed Ciel in his pajamas.
"Please get some rest for now. I shall prepare you a light dinner." Sebastian told him.
Ciel nodded and Sebastian left. Ciel lay back in the bed, but was too restless to actually stay still, so he got out of the bed and padded over to his desk. He sat down, took some papers, and started the clean up process.
First, he wrote a letter addressed to Inspector Abberline, telling him just enough details for the Yard to arrest the remaining guilty parties. He made a list of documents that would serve as evidence, while withholding the most sensitive information. He folded the finished letter, slipped it into an envelope, and sealed it, setting it aside on top of the document list. Next, he needed to write his report to the Queen. He was just about to start when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." Ciel called and the door opened and Sebastian entered the room with a cart. Ciel put the paper aside.
"For your dinner, I have prepared vegetable soup and roasted chicken with rosemary with mashed potatoes. For dessert, we have vanilla pudding with whipped cream." Sebastian announced as he put the plate on the desk in front of Ciel.
"Prepare the documents on the list and send them with the letter to Abberline. The Yard can clean up this one on their own." Ciel said as he ate.
"As you wish." Sebastian took the letter and the paper and put them inside his coat pocket to be taken care of later. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. My shoulder hurts, but I'll be fine." Ciel said. He managed to finish his meal. He drank his water before getting up. "I think I'm just going to sleep."
"Certainly, sir." Sebastian followed him to bed and tucked him in. He cleared up the plates and left the room to do what he had been ordered to do. When he came back an hour or so later, Ciel was fast asleep. So Sebastian left him to rest and tended to his nightly duties.
Ciel was startled awake by the muffled sound of a gunshot. His eyes flew open and for a moment, he was slightly disoriented. But he quickly realized that he was at home, in his own room, in his own bed.
Another gunshot rang out and out of curiosity, Ciel slipped out of bed and padded over to the window. He wasn't stupid as to stand in front of the window, so he stood at the side and took a peek outside. He saw Finny running across the garden, wielding a large log. Then Ciel looked at the rooftop, knowing that Mey-Rin was stationed there. He couldn't spot Snake though. He probably was at a different section of the garden. Bard should be somewhere in the manor to take care of those who managed to slip inside.
And if by some miracle the intruders managed to get past the chef... well, then they would have to face the butler.
His servants, as determined as always to protect him and this manor, their home.
Ciel smiled wistfully. This was their home just as much as it was his. An earl shrouded in darkness, a demon masquerading as a butler, an ex-assassin maid, an ex-soldier cook, a gardener born from laboratory experiment, a footman who could control snakes, and Tanaka... These were the people that made up the Phantomhive household and Ciel wouldn't have it any other way.
Ciel continued to watch and thought he heard an explosion, telling him that Bard was indeed hard at work, probably destroying something in the process. Soon enough though, everything quietened down. Still, he stood there, now looking at the moon. He heard soft knocking on his door followed by the sound of the door opening.
"You should be in bed, my lord. Did the noises wake you up?" Asked the smooth and silky voice of the head butler.
"It's fine." Ciel replied without turning around. "They came here to finish the job, huh?"
"It appears so." Sebastian replied. "But everything has been taken care of."
Ciel nodded and turned around to walk back to his bed. He climbed into bed and lay down. "Are you going to join me?"
"Not tonight, sir. I still have some cleaning up to do." Sebastian said and tucked him in. "Please get some rest."
Ciel hummed and closed his eyes. Soon, he was fast asleep.
Ciel was lying in bed, his pose relaxed and there was a lazy smile across his face as he looked at the man standing by his bed.
"Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Get into bed already." Ciel said and stretched out his hand as an invitation.
Sebastian didn't need to be told twice. He stripped off his clothes and joined Ciel in bed, hovering above his lover. He leaned down to place a kiss on Ciel's forehead and worked his way down from there, kissing every inch of the earl's face, making him sigh blissfully as he wrapped his own arms around Sebastian and ran his hands down the demon's back.
Finally, Sebastian reached his mouth and gave Ciel a deep, passionate kiss, which the boy eagerly returned.
"I love you..." Ciel said after they broke the kiss.
Sebastian rested his forehead on Ciel's and looked into his master's eyes with such intensity that made the boy's heart flutter. "And I love you too, my heaven..."
Ciel's smile widened. "Say that again..."
"Hm?"
"What you call me. Say that again." Ciel clarified.
Sebastian's lips trailed down to his jaw, continuing his journey. "My heaven... My only heaven..." He whispered against the smooth, white skin.
Ciel closed his eyes in full bliss as he enjoyed the feeling of his lover's hands and lips all over his skin.
"Mm... Sebastian..." Ciel moaned. He swore he could feel the demon's hands everywhere, touching him, pulling at him...
Wait, what?
Ciel's eyes flew open and they widened in shock. He was no longer in his own bed, with his demon. Instead, he was lying on a stone table, surrounded by masked individuals and their hands... Oh gods, they were touching him all over with their fat, greasy fingers.
Ciel immediately tried to push them away, tried to get away from them, but he found that he couldn't move his arms. In fact, he couldn't move anything at all, save for his head.
"No! Get away from me!" Ciel screamed, but they didn't stop. There were noises around him, chanting, laughter, whispers... He was filled with terror as he laid there, helpless and defenseless against those hands.
"No!" Ciel yelled. He needed help... He needed...
"Sebastian!" Ciel called for his demon. "Seb... Augh!" He cried in pain as one of them started whipping him.
A man ran his disgusting hand all over Ciel's chest, down to his stomach, and kept going lower...
"Don't touch me!" Ciel screamed. He was filled with pain and disgust as they continued to violate him.
"Sebastian!" Ciel screamed and shot up in bed.
"Young Master!" Sebastian caught the earl in his arms when Ciel shot up in bed. "It is alright. I am here... You are alright..." His voice was gentle and soothing, yet urgent enough to pull the boy out from the depth of his nightmare. Once he was sure that Ciel wouldn't fall over, he loosened his hold on him, letting Ciel decide whether he wanted to accept the comfort or to push him away. It really could go either way after a nightmare.
At first, Ciel was frozen in fright, but then his nose was filled with the familiar scent of his butler and he slowly started to come back to reality. He heard Sebastian's voice in his ear, calling him, and finally, he felt the butler's arms around him, holding him loosely.
Ciel clutched at his butler. "Don't let them get to me... Don't let them touch me..."
"Never, my lord. Never." Sebastian said as he gathered the teen in his arms. "You are safe. I will never let them get to you."
Ciel clung to him as he struggled to compose himself.
"I'm safe... I'm okay... You're here... I'm okay..." Ciel repeated over and over again in an attempt to calm himself down. He knew that it was just a dream, but it had felt so real. Their hands on him, the sting of leather on his skin, the voices...
Sebastian continued to hold him as Ciel calmed down. After a while, Ciel had calmed down enough and he pulled back to look at Sebastian.
"You're really here." Ciel said, touching the demon's face.
"I am here, my lord." Sebastian said reassuringly.
Ciel leaned forward, letting his forehead fall onto Sebastian's shoulder. "And I was having such a nice dream too..."
"Hm?" Sebastian prompted.
Ciel nuzzled Sebastian like a cat and the demon smiled widely. He moved his hand to touch the back of Ciel's neck, noting that it was hot to the touch. He would have to change the dressing and get Ciel to drink some water and possibly broth, but that could wait for a little longer. Right now, Ciel needed him, not water, not broth.
"I was dreaming about us, and then suddenly, you were gone and I was in that blasted place, on that stone table, and they were..." Ciel shuddered. "Never mind that. My point is, it was such a nice dream, before everything went to hell."
Ciel shifted and pressed a kiss on Sebastian's exposed neck, above his shirt collar. "Perhaps we can pick up where I left off..." He trailed kisses to the demon's jaw, heading to his mouth. When he finally reached his destination, they shared a brief kiss before Sebastian pulled away.
"As much as I would like to indulge us, Young Master, you have a fever and an infection and you need to rest. Not to mention it is in the middle of the day." Sebastian said.
"Oh." Ciel sounded resigned. "So I did get an infection, huh?"
"I am afraid so, sir." Sebastian got to his feet and poured a glass of water before handing the glass to Ciel, who drank it greedily.
Ciel handed the empty glass back to him. "More."
Sebastian poured a second glass and Ciel finished that too.
"What time is it?" Ciel asked. He could see the sunlight peeking through the curtains.
"A little before noon, my lord. Just in time for lunch. But before that, I will clean up your wound and change the dressing first." Sebastian told him.
"Okay." Ciel said and Sebastian got to work.
After the wound was cleaned and redressed, Sebastian left to get Ciel's lunch. He came back fifteen minutes later with chicken soup and chocolate mousse for dessert. Ciel finished them and then went back to sleep.
"Stay..." Ciel said sleepily.
"Always, my lord." Sebastian sat down on the armchair by the bed.
Ciel's temperature continued to fluctuate throughout the day and Sebastian never left his side, save for going to get Ciel hot milk with honey in the late afternoon and preparing his dinner in the evening.
At eight in the evening, Tanaka knocked on the door, asking if Sebastian would like to freshen up and eat something while he watched over the young master.
"You have been sitting here all day. At least eat something. You're no good to him if you get sick." Tanaka said.
"Very well. Thank you, Mr. Tanaka." Sebastian said. He, of course, didn't need or want to eat, but he had to keep up appearance. He left the room and headed downstairs. He went to his room to freshen up and feed his cats, all the while keeping his ears open and monitoring their bond to make sure that his master wasn't in any kind of distress.
When he felt that a reasonable time had lapsed, he went back upstairs.