#definitely dadbastian throughout lmao

[hobbit-in-kuroshitsuji]

Kuroshitcember 2022 Prompt Nr. 23 - Christmas Special 1/3

prompt: Sebastian thinks about his life before his contract with Ciel.

You can find all prompts here!

All of these will be uploaded/archived to this blog's Ao3 eventually

📌Because I ended up not being able to participate in quite a lot of prompts lately, I decided to put together a 3 part little story for 23rd, 24th, and 25th of December, each chapter inspired by that day's prompt. I tried incorporating as many characters as I could <3 I hope you enjoy!! I hope I can keep up writing after Christmas though <3 these prompts have been amazing, and it's been so much fun participating <3

Summary: As Christmas Eve draws to its end, Ciel Phantomhive finds out that his demon butler had a past unlike any the boy could have ever imagined. This means Ciel's Christmas takes a drastic turn, which invites things to go both right and wrong... CW: kuroshitsuji spoilers (if you don't know about o!ciel and r!ciel, do not read this 3 parter!!), mentions death, suicide, anatomy study, workhouses - please be careful if you are easily triggered by real events that happened in the past. oh, if you don't ship Vincent/Undertaker, please don't send hate <3 it's just a fleeting mention, but still <3

“The what?”

Ciel’s one eye flickered over to glare at Sebastian. The question was not a rude one, but Ciel’s patience had been somewhat thin as of late. Memories flooded Ciel during the entire month of December which wore down both his mood and his mental health.  

First it had been his birthday; a reminder of his brother and the loss of affection and remembrance toward his own dead self buried somewhere no one came to visit (to his knowledge)…

Then it had been faint memories of past holidays, with family near and warmth all around a child’s innocent mind.

What was usually the time for a human to get acquainted with the world from behind the protective barrier of parents had been shattered a long time ago, and the bitterness of the loss of a child’s innocence seeped into the holiday instead.

Ciel Phantomhive no longer cared for Christmas, and Sebastian had not had to care about Christmas for any other reason then to keep up appearances of a household serving a philanthropist wishing to remain out of the spotlight, and a kind-hearted lord.

“The Foundation of Timmy.” Desk filled with letters ranging from ‘Merry Christmas’ cards, to bills, to civilians appealing for more time to pay rent, to complaints about the land… Ciel favoured one letter in his hand which would turn the tide for that year’s Christmas. Because of that letter, Ciel was not the only one suddenly overwhelmed with memories. “It’s a charity giving to the poor in London. They’re hosting a special charity during the holiday season to give presents, food, warm clothes, that sort of thing.”

“Let me guess,” Sebastian spoke, voice slightly quieter than normal, pupils ten sizes smaller, and fangs out for show – “They pay special attention to the workhouses of London…”

“Yes.” Ciel thought little of this. Outwardly he didn’t care for his demon’s emotions anyway, and his act meant that he didn’t notice how this was affecting Sebastian. Besides, it was a logical conclusion. The workhouses were on the top of the list when looking for places to go and be charitable.

“They do not mention the Jewish communities?”

Ciel blinked at this question though. “The Jewish…? Well, yes. There’s a separate fund for Hanukkah. It offers the Jewish community funding for those living in the industrial areas… We have missed it this year, though. It ended on the 4th of December.”

“Yes…” Sebastian said no more, and instead busied himself with collecting opened letters from Ciel’s desk to try and tidy up.

“How did you know this?” Ciel looked between demon and letter, glancing at the charity’s symbol: a crest held up by a crow cawing. Within the crest, the letter T was printed.

A mere guess, my lord was what Sebastian wanted to say. Alas, he had been prompted not to lie to his master. Through a fake smile attempting to offer the aesthetic of him being calm and in control of his own emotions – which Sebastian despised he even had – the demon said: “Timothy Smith was a previous contract of mine. In your human, Christian calendar it would have been between the years of 1698 to 1705.”

Shocked and astounded to suddenly hear something about Sebastian’s past on Earth, Ciel stood up in such a rush that the chair tumbled over behind him. With one wide eye, Ciel stared at the demon, who pretended nothing had been said and simply continued to clean.

“Sebastian,” Ciel pointed out, only to find he had no clue of what to ask. He wanted to know all of it, really. Who was Timmy? How old had he been? How had he summoned a demon? Where did they live? Had Timothy been a noble too from the start? Did demons only go for nobles?

For some strange reason though, the only question that formed on Ciel’s tongue was what that contract had entailed. Whether Ciel done right by himself was something he still pondered over. Could he have done better in negotiating terms and conditions with a demon?

Had someone else cracked the code before him?

“What were the conditions?”

“Pardon?” Sebastian paused his cleaning, almost looking offended.

Maybe it was offensive to ask such things to a demon – Ciel didn’t know. He didn’t speak demon language nor did he know anything about their culture – nor did Ciel want to know about their anything. It was a demon. A foul creature with the sole intention of pulling humans down to hell for consumption.

So, Ciel continued despite the offense. “What was your contract about?”

Sebastian’s nostrils flared once, then he seemed to straighten up further than humanly possible – as if to keep something back, a rude comment… maybe…

“Timothy asked me to be his father.”

And now Ciel was just confused.

“Huh?”

“Timothy was a little boy, younger than you, who was taken from a workhouse in 1688 by men of science attempting to understand human anatomy. Taken to a university for the sole purpose of being murdered and cut open, one scientist took pity on the boy before he could hit the nail through the boy’s skull.” There was venom behind Sebastian’s words, a venom which Ciel noted he had never heard before…. Except for once when Sebastian scolded Ciel for not letting him help clean Ciel up, perhaps only a few hours after their contract had initially been created. Ciel had still been hurt then… and… wounds can get infected. This part of Sebastian’s past had become an infected wound too.

He cared.

Demons shouldn’t care… right?

“He took Timothy to a different department. One not researching human anatomy, but the human soul. One thing led to another, and they summoned me… not a human soul.” Sebastian once more looked offended at the mere idea, taking on a pose of superiority toward human souls.

Ciel rolled his eyes at it.

“Small as he was, the child asked for a father. One who would protect, and in doing so figure out what had actually happened to his real family. He didn’t quite understand the reality of the creature he was negotiating with.” Looking away from Ciel, Sebastian remained silent until his master prompted for the rest of the story.

“But you were only with him for seven years?”

“Boys grow a lot in seven years. Eventually, I, as his father, saw it fit for him to find out the truth about his parents. Once Timothy was old enough, the two of us did just so.”

“And…?” Ciel prompted again, waving a hand impatiently.

“They were nothing but a whore and a marine who had needed a relief one day.” Ciel frowned in disgust. “But, it turned out that the marine came from a wealthy family, and so I claimed Timothy’s heritage for him.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Ciel asked in a bored tone: “You mean you killed every single one then made Timothy the formal heir?”

“Yes. Obviously.” Sebastian smirked at Ciel’s wittiness. “You know me well, my lord.”

“It seemed the only thing a demon would do.”

“’Tis a Christmas miracle! You, my lord, offering me such compliments is unheard of.”

“Revolting.” Ciel turned to walk back to the window. Outside, it didn’t feel much like a Christmas miracle. It was raining, barely a degree below zero… There would be no snow this year, he assumed.

Which meant it would be the first year since his parents’ death that he wouldn’t have a white Christmas. The conversation he had with Sebastian was what he clung to in order to keep from feeling sadness over something as childish and pathetic as snow.

“Timothy enjoyed the snow too,” Sebastian said.

Unsure what had prompted this, Ciel turned and offered his demon a confused look.

“All children’s minds are alike,” he explained simply. “All children wish the same thing.”

Ciel nodded, for once not taking offense to the fact that he was being called a child. “I agree. Therefore, Sebastian, I want you to arrange that any funds we can spare are offered to the Foundation of Timmy this year.”

There was a millisecond where Ciel could detect a hint of gratitude and relief from the demon, before it disappeared as Sebastian smiled and bowed.

“As you wish, my lord.”

“And…” Ciel frowned, tapping one of the letters. “That warehouse that suffered water damage?” Blasted English weather. “How much of the toys stored there were damaged beyond repair?”

“A mere two percent, sir.”

“Then I would like all undamaged goods to be shipped to the workhouses of London…” Ciel watched Sebastian for a bit, pondering whether this was a good idea. “Is the one where Timothy came from still running?”

“I- Yes, sir.”

“Then why don’t we make a personal visit?”

“Sir?”

“Christmas among nobility is all about giving presents no one needs. Most of them are returned to the store, exchanged for something they wanted, or forgotten. Then we eat a bunch of things no one can finish, and the leftovers are thrown out.” Sebastian refrained from correcting his master in that, in actuality, the servants tended to finish Christmas dinners at estates, holding a little party past midnight after their work was done…

“But the party –“

“We’ll be back in time. I just…” Ciel frowned. “What you said… About the scientists… Does it still happen?”

“Yes, my lord. It might not be legal anymore to claim living subjects, but it still happens.”

“Then I want to be there. It’s Christmas. People are at home and law enforcement is scathe. It would be ripe time for people to claim children from workhouses. Make it happen, Sebastian.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sebastian agreed, bowing down as Ciel walked past him to leave the office.

Outside, the rain slowly turned to snow. Sebastian watched it, not being able to help feel a sense of warmth within him at the memory of a former master unknowingly manipulating Sebastian into becoming a father… caring for the boy… It was a contract that clearly had long lasting impact on the demon.

And now, Ciel offered a gentle touch to the memory, honouring Timmy…

Sebastian would never admit it out loud, but this Christmas Miracle was quite the pleasant surprise.

__ taglist: @eemoo1o-animoo