Chapter Text
Ciel woke to a cold chill running down his spine: he was in bed with only a little of the covers draped over his small body and he was alone in the room. The fire had burnt out some time in the night and Ciel found himself shivering again as he sat up to look around for his husband. It was a little peculiar for Sebastian to be absent after a night of love-making but Ciel supposed that this was indeed Sebastian's own home and being able to roam free probably granted Sebastian the freedom to leave the bedroom.
The boy groaned softly, a little sore after the previous night, and slipped out of bed to dress. It was a little harder than usual what with the bruising but Ciel struggled on regardless and finally managed to get himself into some trousers and a shirt. Stuffing his socked toes into his shoes, the teen felt he was presentable enough to hunt down his lover and perhaps some breakfast.
The corridors seemed just as sulky as they had appeared during the night and it was therefore even more unnerving to wander through them unaccompanied. Ignoring the unease the unnatural gloom brought on, Ciel made his way down to the lounge, then the study and then finally found himself in the dark pits of the family library.
Lighting a candle, Ciel went inside.
Anyone would suspect how foolish such an act might be; entering a dark, dingy library and armed with nothing but a small flame to break up the darkness might have been madness to some but Ciel was in his husband's manor and was reassured by the knowledge his lover would have informed the small earl had there been anything dangerous inhabiting the shadows.
Despite this, the teen could feel his heart hammering against his chest as he proceeded into the depths of one of the few rooms that had seen a duster. It was strange feeling this unease; Ciel had never been afraid of the dark before and books usually gave him a sense of wonder but, instead, the earl could only feel dread which urged him on for what could it be that stirred such anxiety in his gut?
As he crept in deeper, he came across a door almost hidden by a bookshelf. Gripping hold of the knob, he twisted only to find it was locked. He gave it a shove but the door didn't cave. Why would there be a locked door in the library? Of course it could be just Ciel's unease in the dark, making anything come across as out of place but a little nagging in the back of the earl's head said otherise.
“Ciel?”
The boy jumped at the sound of his name from behind him and Ciel whirled around to find himself face to face with his husband. “Sebastian...” He relaxed and pouted. “Don't sneak up on me. You just took ten years off me.”
The lord Michaelis gave his little husband a grin before stealing a kiss. “Why are you in here?”
Ciel frowned. “Why is there a door locked?” he countered.
Sebastian only looked amused. “Claude,” he said like that explained everything but continued when Ciel arched a quizzical eyebrow. “Sometimes memories are too much for him so he locks keepsakes in here. Like Father's violin.” His hand slipped into Ciel's. “Come on. Let's go see if we can get some breakfast inside you.”
The earl's stomach gave an approving growl which made the elder chuckle as the smaller lord was led to the kitchen. To Ciel's surprise, there was indeed a cook who was cutting up meat with a cigarette in his mouth. The cook gave a grunt in acknowledgement of their presents, granting the Michaelis lord a respectful nod before continuing on with his work.
Sebastian, however, was well used to helping himself in the kitchen by now and prepared himself and Ciel a decent breakfast. They ate in the corner of the kitchen that was currently unused but glares from the cook suggested that space was needed. The couple finished quickly and left as the cook grumbled behind them.
“That's Bardroy,” Sebastian explained. “Bard doesn't like people in 'his kitchen' but I think that's mostly because it's the only place he can use any form of fire. We caught him sneaking in a flame-thrower once.” The elder lord shook his head then smiled at Ciel's look of disbelief. “I wish I was joking.”
Ciel cracked a smile, following his lover down the hall. He glanced at the library as they passed it, spying a light flicker somewhere in the depths.
The wind howled through the trees outside the window, branches rattling against glass. The moon lit up the room when peeping from behind dark clouds that threatened rain, giving life to shadows moving with the trees. It was some time after one in the morning and few stars managed to push their light passed the clouds that seemed to be swelling. Moments passed and droplets of rain began to splash at the window.
Ciel watched as the rain became heavier and heavier. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of thunder rumbled in the heavens and Sebastian stirred next to his lover but slumbered on. The earl smiled affectionately at his sleeping husband, envying the elder male's ability to sleep. Though the teen was tired, he couldn't seem to switch his brain off.
Curiosity burned in Ciel's core, the need to see what was behind that door in the library had consumed him and he couldn't see why he wouldn't be allowed to have a peek at some old junk. If it was family heirlooms like Sebastian said, it was Ciel's right to see them now he had married into the family; more right than Claude who was, in fact, a bastard child.
The thing was, Ciel couldn't shake the feeling that maybe something else lurked behind that door.
Slipping out of bed, Ciel pulled on his night shirt and made his way down the eerily pitch-black corridors with nothing but a candle to light his way. Even then, the flame seemed like a futile attempt to penetrate the thick gloom that swallowed the crepuscular halls. Though anxiety choked the earl, he continued further from the safety of his husband's side and return once more to the shadowed veil of the library.
He found the door with ease, his trembling fingers tracing the door knob as he knelt down to pick the lock. The door creaked with age as it inched open but the air was not as thick with dust as it would have been if simply filled with old junk. Suspicion mounting, Ciel crept into the room as he straightened up and looked around.
It seemed to be nothing more than an old study, a thin layer of dust settled undisturbed on almost every surface. Closing the door, Ciel instinctively approached the desk and began to rummage through the draws. His fingers found paperwork and files with names of noble families that he barely recognised but then... Elizabeth Midford.
The Phantomhive Earl froze at seeing the name of his deceased cousin on the cover of a file in this particular house. The husband had disappeared after Lizzie's unexpected death and, while no foul play was ever suspected, it was suspicious of the man to run off after his wife had died. Had the husband been Sebastian? Surely not for the Midford family would have recognised Sebastian at the soiree.
He opened the file and frowned at the content. Everything about his cousin was in here: her likes and dislikes, the shoes she wore, every known relation and even tedious details like her taste in music and her favourite colour. Why on earth would anyone care enough about the likes and dislikes of Elizabeth Midford? Of course, unless they planned on courting her. All these little details were to ensure Lizzie's affection, to win her over and be the prince Charming she had always dreamed of.
But who...
“What are you doing in here?” Claude's cool tone had Ciel drop the file as he whipped round in surprise. “It's late. You should be in bed.” His voice remained even but, in the flicker of the candle light, Ciel could see the icy rage that gripped the bastard. In that moment, the earl realised that he was very much alone in this house and there was no one for miles around; who would hear his cries if Claude attacked him now? Who would find his body locked away in this dusty old room? And, for a moment, Ciel feared that he would meet the same fate as his beloved father.
Then Claude stepped aside to allow Ciel to pass.
Without wasting a moment, Ciel all but flew passed his brother-in-law and hurried to his bedroom where he locked the door and crawled back into bed with his husband. It was not until he had felt Sebastian's warmth that he began to feel safe again. Even so, it was a while before he could fall asleep.
Dawn did not wake the sleeping earl but the kisses on the back of his neck did. Ciel sighed with sleepy contentment as he felt his lover warp his arms around the earl's small frame, placing kisses and playful nips on the creamy white flesh of Ciel's neck. A soft groan left the Phantomhive's throat as he felt his husband press against him, Sebastian's hands running up under Ciel's nightshirt. Ciel's body responded to each touch much like it usually did and the earl welcomed the familiar touch of his lover. Their hips rocked together, Ciel pressing back into his husband's movements for only a little while before he decided that he'd had enough teasing.
Twisting around, Ciel's mouth found Sebastian's as the older male crawled on top of his companion, easing himself between his little lover's thighs. It was a simple thing to have their bodies reconnect with just the thrust of the hips. Both males groaned, their kiss becoming sloppy as their hips rolled into each other. Ciel's fingers raked along his husband's back, whimpering blissfully as his lover's movements sped up.
It didn't take them long to stumble into bliss, finding their climax together under the sleep haze of the morning's ecstasy. Sebastian rolled off his lover and they lay side by side, panting as they enjoyed the pleasant afterglow of their mutual pleasure. Ciel glanced over at his husband only to find a pair of maroon eyes already gazing warmly at him. A blush rose up in the younger male's cheeks but he had no protest as his mouth was teased into a kiss that left them both grinning. The feeling of being sticky was beginning to get to Ciel, however, and they both made their way to the bathroom to clean up?
“Sebastian...?” Ciel hesitated.
“Mm?” Sebastian looked up as he dried himself off, his movements slowing as his attention turned to his lover.
“Has... Has Claude ever been married?” the question sounded odd, even to Ciel, but that file had given him questions he had never thought to ask before.
“Um... Yeah,” Sebastian didn't seem particularly happy to be talking about his brother's love life, or maybe about his brother at all. “Some time ago.”
“What happened?”
Sebastian shifted. “Er, she died,” he explained, “A fever.”
“Oh.” Ciel began to dress himself. A fever was what Lizzie's official cause of death was but it seemed strange that Sebastian would never mention anything about the relation. Of course many people died from fevers but the file in that locked room had Ciel convinced of the connection between Elizabeth and this family. “That's a shame.”
“Yeah, it was.” Sebastian agreed. “She was a sweet girl.”
Ciel had to agree with that. As bothersome as Elizabeth could be sometimes, she was a sweet girl with a kind heart and had been loved dearly by all who who had the honour of knowing her. Even Ciel himself had harboured a soft spot for his dearest cousin of whom he had loved as he would a sister and he had felt the lost of her death just as deeply as he had felt his father's.
“You sound like you felt her passing,” Ciel commented as casually as he could, ignoring the lump in his throat as he turned his back on his lover so that Sebastian would not see the unfallen tears that had begun to well up in those sad, sapphire eyes.
“Yes, she had a way of making you care for her,” Sebastian mused, “She was a bright, optimistic fool with a head for romance but she was compassionate and cared sincerely. I think she was brave too; she certainly had to be to be unafraid of Claude.”
“What do you mean?” Ciel glanced round at his lover who suddenly looked sheepish and uncomfortable.
“Well, Claude could be intimidating,” Sebastian answered carefully, “He never raised a hand to her but there were moments I thought he might.”
Ciel was quiet for a moment as he pulled himself together. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That Elizabeth was my cousin.”