Disclaimer: Yana Toboso is the rightful owner of Kuroshitsuji and the lovely characters that belong to that series. No copyright infringement intended.
Baby Butler
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Chapter 5: Child, Day 1
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Sebastian had grown again, much to Ciel’s thankful relief. Two days as an infant and four days as a toddler.
Please let this child form go by faster, Ciel pleaded silently. Since the Earl of Phantomhive had woken up that morning, he had watched half of his fine china crash into pieces and three windows on the top floor were shattered. The house was in utter chaos.
Ciel had locked himself in his study with the trouble making demon child. The young Earl wasn’t sure how he even thought it to be a good idea in the first place.
While Sebastian had gotten bigger, his curiosity had grown as well. The demon was now up to Ciel’s elbow and his wings and tail got in the way of everything. While the mansion had previously gotten most of the damage, Ciel could now say that his wardrobe was treated much the same. Little Sebastian had stopped stealing Ciel’s eye patch and rings but now had retorted to stealing Ciel’s cane, heeled shoes and jackets. The young demon took great fun in imitating the agitated Earl.
“Ciel is mad,” Sebastian commented. He was staring at the annoyed thirteen-year-old boy with those wide rose coloured eyes.
Ciel glanced at the demon with a sarcastic look and muttered an ‘I wonder why’ under his breath. Sebastian’s mouth turned down into a frown, obviously hearing the hushed remark. With a sigh, Ciel turned his attention back to the several sheets of important documents that he was meant to sign. Business alliances, company deals and other issues were printed onto the thin sheets of white with perfect black letters.
“Don’t touch that,” commanded Ciel, not even looking up from the papers. He didn’t need to in order to know that Sebastian was reaching for something on the walls or shelves that lined the walls of the study. The young demon let out a soft whine but sat down in on of the chairs that were used for guests or business meetings.
Sebastian wasn’t happy, he was bored. Ciel wasn’t letting him have any fun. This annoyed the young demon and made him restless. Now a restless and annoyed demon was never a good mix. The raven-haired ex-butler would just have to find some way to entertain himself.
Ciel glanced up at the silent Sebastian, checking to see that the demon child hadn’t managed to sneak off on him, again. To the Earl’s relief, little Sebastian was lazily seated in one of the leather armchairs. But the demon looked a little sinister in Ciel’s opinion, as if a devious plan was forming in his head. Ciel paused what he was doing and kept his one-eyed gaze on the suspicious looking demon. The young Earl had a bad feeling about the demonic smirk that rested on Sebastian’s young pale face.
“Sebastian, what are you smirking at?” the Earl eventually asked.
At the sound of Ciel’s voice, Sebastian’s smirk disappeared and a restless look replaced it. “May I go to the water closet?” was all he asked. (A/N: a common term used in the Victorian era when referring to the washroom)
Ciel’s eyebrows drew down in slight confusion. “But you’re a demo-” The Earl stopped short. How would he know if young demons functioned like normal human children or not? He knew they needed to eat. Sebastian had confronted him about being hungry a number of days ago and the Earl had experimented with different options in order to satisfy the demon. Eventually it was discovered that Sebastian was filled with the small souls of woodland creatures like squirrels and birds, add a few attempts at human food consumption that didn’t go so well. Maybe demon children needed to get rid of left over soul waste?
The Earl sighed in defeat and stood up. “Very well, but I’m not letting you out of my sight until we get there.”
Sebastian nodded and jumped up in exaggerated hurry. The two of them exited the study and made their way down the hall.
~*Baby:Butler*~
Five or ten minutes is understandable, maybe even twenty. But to have to wait almost half an hour for a demon – even a normal human – to finish his private business was just strange. The Earl was growing even more annoyed, if that was possible.
“Sebastian, are you almost finished?” Ciel eventually asked, through the thick wooden door. He received no answer and tried again, “Sebastian?”
More silence. Hesitating, the young Earl placed his hand on the silver door handle.
“Sebastian! Pleeease get down from there! You’ll hurt yourself!” Finnian’s helpless voice travelled up the stairs and Ciel let out a loud groan.
Of course, he got away, Ciel mentally muttered. The Earl turned on his heel and marched down the stairs with the aura of an adult. The troublemaking demon was currently swinging on the very expensive golden chandelier that hung in the front foyer. If the child saw Ciel or his expression, the demon made no move to stop his means of entertainment.
“Sebastian, I order you to get down now,” commanded the Earl, knowing the contract was vague with their situation. No matter how he tried, Sebastian never answered to his orders at all or he did so very slowly. It was the last thread of hope that Ciel had with controlling the child, one that was slowly slipping away.
“Hello Lord Earl~!” Another voice which said Earl tensed at. Slowly turning to the left, to face the front door, Ciel met gazes – well gaze to eyelids – with Lau and his inappropriately dressed companion, Ran-Mao.
Before Ciel could utter a single word, Sebastian flipped off of the chandelier and landed gracefully on his feet, wings outstretched. “Who’s this, Ciel?” he asked, curiously.
Lau peered down at the abnormal child through the creases between his eyelids and smiled. “Hello, I’m Lau and this is Ran-Mao, who may you be?”
“Sebastian’s nephew, Finny, take care of this,” Ciel waved his hand at Sebastian and began guiding Lau and his ever silent ‘sister’ to his study. Ciel’s appearing headache grew worse by the minutes.
While the Earl disappeared with the two mysterious new guests, Sebastian was mentally bursting with excitement and ideas of fun.
“Sebastian, hanging from the chandelier is very dangerous. I know ya can fly but you could still hurt yourself! The Young Master worries for you, I know he acts like he’s an adult but he’s actually concerned for your safety! Why don’t ya try staying out of trouble with somethin’ safer to do?” Finnian suggested, feeling overwhelmed and still getting over the fright he got from Sebastian’s swinging stunt.
Before the giddy demon child could answer, Baldroy strolled into the front room, his signature cigarette dangling from his lips. “What’d ya do this time, sport?” he asked, raising a blonde eyebrow at Sebastian.
“I was swinging!” announced the ex-butler, pointing up at the large gleaming chandelier.
Baldo glanced up and chuckled. “Talk ‘bout the extreme, was it fun?”
Sebastian grinned and nodded quickly. He knew Baldroy would understand his kind of fun, unlike all the others who either smothered him or lectured him.
Finny frowned at the blonde American chef. “Don’t encourage him! The Young Master is very frustrated right now and he doesn’t need to worry ‘bout Sebastian’s safety on top of everythin’ he already has to worry ‘bout!”
Mey-rin decided at that moment to join the three males. “I heard yellin’ earlier. Is everything okay?” she asked, carefully.
Sebastian pouted and rushed over to the far-sighted maid, clutching her leg and burying his face into the folds of her skirt. Mey-rin could make out muffled sounds coming from the raven-haired child but didn’t catch a single word.
“Uh, what was that Sebastian? I couldn’t hear you.”
The demon looked up at her slightly reddened face and bit his bottom lip. “I got in trouble again. Big Brother is mad at me and Finny is dis-a-pointed in me. I’m sowy,” he mumbled, returning his face to the apron fabric after his explanation.
Mey-rin gushed inside at the sight. Never in any of her wildest dreams – and she had had many – would she have thought that a child, who was the mirror image of Sebastian would be cuddling up to her. She had day dreamed about bearing said butler’s children but hadn’t ever thought that she would come so close to her motherly fantasy. But yet, here she was comforting an achingly adorable child that possessed the same mysterious crimson gaze and silky black locks as her secret love. It was almost too much to bear.
While Sebastian cuddled up to Mey-rin, Baldroy and Finnian were lightly arguing about whether Sebastian needed to be kept safe or whether he needed a little more freedom. Said demon liked the weapon-loving chef even more, even if he did make the most tasteless food the child had ever eaten. Baldroy was taking his side and that immediately put him on Sebastian’s good side.
“C’mon, lighten up, he’s just a kid! They need space and they need fun! The poor boy has been cooped up in this gloomy manor for a week. I’d be restless too!” Baldroy defended, glancing at the kid in Mey-rin’s arms.
“But he can still have fun on a safer level! He was hanging from the chandelier, Baldo! He could ‘ave hurt himself badly! I don’t want to see him hurt and neither does the Young Master. Why doesn’t he just run around outside? He wouldn’t be inside all day then and he’d burn off some energy while he’s at it,” countered Finnian, his face flushed.
Baldroy sighed and shrugged a shoulder, turning to face Mey-rin and Sebastian. “Hey, squirt; wanna come help me make dinner for your brother?”
The young demon poked he head up from its resting spot at Mey-rin’s neck. “Yes, please!” With a sigh, Mey-rin set the once again excited child on his feet and watched him disappear down the hall with Baldroy.
~*Baby:Butler*~
“No! Sebastian, put that flamethrower down!” Baldroy yelled, chasing a giggling and armed demon child around the kitchen.
“But fire is so pretty!” Sebastian exclaimed, knocking over a bag of flour with his large wings. The bag broke on impact and a thick cloud of flour coated the countertops, appliances and both males.
Baldo had on a look of pure terror. “Sebastian, give the weapon to me, carefully. Now.”
Sebastian stared at the wide-eyed chef, contemplating whether to listen or not. He liked the dancing glow of fire. The colours were wondrous to his sharp eyes, they blended beautifully. Maybe if he just flicked on a small flame, for only a second.
With a soft click, Sebastian blasted the flamethrower. Time seemed to slow down in his eyes. Baldroy actually screamed and lunged for the child with horror struck terror. A blast of flame shot out of the end of the weapon and the cloud of white flour ignited. Two ruby eyes widened at the colour and heat. He felt the feathers of his wings sizzle and his cheek felt like it was melting. In a split second, the whole kitchen was a burning inferno.
Without another thought, Sebastian wrapped his hands around the now black sleeve of Baldroy’s chef uniform and heaved. The demon child found it rather easy to drag the coughing man across the cool cement and to the nearest door, which led outside.
“Baldo! Sebastian!” Mey-rin gasped. She was standing outside, beside Finnian, who was quickly hooking up the garden hose. Cold water ran and Finny made fast work of putting out the remaining flames.
A couple minutes later, the small group was joined by Ciel, Lau, Ran-Mao and Tanaka.
“Baldroy, this was more damage than usual. What do you have to say for yourself?” asked Ciel, his lone cerulean eye narrowed.
Baldo hung his slightly scorched head in shame. Everyone was silent, taking in the damage of the house and the damage given to the occupants of the kitchen.
Mey-rin was currently checking Sebastian over for wounds while Tanaka checked over Baldroy. The maid found nothing, for the child’s skin had already healed. He looked as if he was never touched, except for the blackened white shirt and ashen face. As for Baldroy, his blonde hair was blackened at the tips and his hands and arms were burned. The once white chef’s uniform was scorched in several places and was deemed un-wearable. But they were both alive.
Sebastian frowned, not liking the look on Baldroy’s face. It felt weird to the demon to let in emotion. The feeling of guilt and regret was foreign to him and it made his stomach churn.
“Finnian, Mey-rin, salvage what you can from the wreckage. Baldroy, you can replace all food items with your pay. I expect something to eat for myself and my guests in two hours, not a minute later,” commanded Ciel, sweeping his hard gaze across the group of servants.
Sebastian stepped forward and looked up at Ciel with new-found courage. “Ciel, Baldroy did not do this, but I did. I was playing with fire and then the room ex-ploded. Don’t blame Baldo, be-cose I did it.”
One delicate ash-blue eyebrow went up in surprise and question. Baldroy lifted his head and stared at Sebastian.
Ciel turned to the blonde chef and asked, “Is this true, Baldroy?” Baldo nodded but kept his blue eyes on Sebastian. “Care to explain how this happened, Sebastian?” Ciel asked, now watching the demon.
Wetting his lips, Sebastian explained what had happened. “Baldo let me help him with dinner. It was cooking when he pulled out his flamethrower. I liked watching the pretty flames and I took the flamethrower. He was ch-asing me a-round the kitchen when I kn-ocked over a bag of flour. Baldroy told me to give him back the wea-pon but I turned it on. Then the kitchen blew up.”
Ciel let out a breath and glanced at Baldroy. “You are still to restock the pantry and shelves but I will handle the costs. Sebastian is to help Finnian and Mey-rin with the kitchen. Now, Tanaka please see too it that my guests are comfortable until dinner.” Turning on his heel, the young Earl walked back around the cracked wall of the manor and disappeared. Moments later, Lau, Ran-Mao and Tanaka followed.
“Baldroy,” Sebastian started, walking over to the chef and looking up at him. “What made the kitchen explode? Flour isn’t flam-able, is it?”
With a soft chuckle, Baldo answered, “The finer ‘flour’ is, the easier it burns. If the concentration in the air gets high, it’s just like an explosive gas. The bag you knocked o’er wasn’t enough to completely destroy the whole kitchen or us, thank God.”
Sebastian stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Baldroy’s waist. “I’m sowy.”
“Hey, it’s alright, squirt. No harm done, thanks for getting me outta there. You’re pretty strong,” Baldroy commented, ruffling the child’s dark hair.
Sebastian smiled. Sure, emotions were mostly strange for demons to actually experience. But not all feelings were uncomfortable. The feeling of belonging and happiness made Sebastian’s insides warm. It was pleasant warmth that the demon child wished to experience again.