Chapter Text
“Master!”
The cold blue eyes of the young Earl snapped towards the redheaded woman, who ran down the hallway as she weakly gestured towards the door.
“Master, somebody’s at the door!”
He scoffed towards the woman, making his way to his feet as he crossed his arms. He was more than used to Mey-Rin’s chattering, but he decided he didn’t have the patience today.
Not that he ever had the patience for anything, after all, Ciel Phantomhive was known for his cold attitude and quick temper. His words could pierce like a knife on their own, but no one risked coming any closer than that. He kept his distance for a reason, and his heart of glass behind an impenetrable wall.
Nothing would shatter the young man, after all, despite his young age.
“And you’re asking me to answer the call because…?” He responded, indignantly, as the girl backed away, trembling.
“He requested you, master!” She cried, shivering as if she had expected to be hit. Ciel snarled, turning away.
“Tell him that I have no interest in meeting with him if he can’t even give a reason.” He remarked, the lady running back as a blonde boy with straw colored hair watched her leave, turning back towards the ravenette Earl as he rubbed his temples in anger.
“You know…” The boy, known as Finnian, spoke in a small, quiet voice, as if almost afraid to speak himself. “I do believe you could be a little more gentle. Anyone who’s out on a night like this one can’t be feeling all the best in the snowstorm, after all.”
Ciel glared towards Finnian as he rolled his eyes, leaning back in his red throne.
“I didn’t ask how you felt.” He spat, an older blonde man scoffing behind him.
“Don’t listen, Finny.” The man known as Baldroy remarked, unable to keep himself from fearing Ciel himself, but choosing to comfort Finnian, who was rather anxious. “You know we-“
“Master!”
The screeching voice of Mey-Rin filled the hall again as she ran to the throne, panting and sweating as she smoothed out her dress.
“He demanded you come! I feel like we’re dealing with something more serious than a simple commoner!”
Ciel growled as he stood up, proceeding to make his way towards the large, brass doorknob, his eldest servant Tanaka pulling it open as quickly as he could for the master with a brash thud as Ciel’s eyes met who dared to disturb him. The other three servants followed, finding themselves wishing to be in place in case anything went awry.
Outside no one could be seen outside of a hooded figure, seemingly small as it crouched towards the ground, disgusting the Earl as he realized who had dared to “command” anything of him.
“And what do you wish of me?” He snarled, trying his best to keep his composure. “Don’t waste my time now. What was so important you demanded my assistance?”
The hooded figure began to speak, in a soft, yet clearly masculine voice.
“My lord…” He spoke, Ciel looking away in anger and lack of respect. “I ask for shelter tonight and tonight alone. I will leave in the morning at once, I simply care for my safety.”
The hooded figure withdrew a blue rose, something that astounded even Ciel, offering with a darkened hand.
“I possess no money of my own, but I do have a gift to offer in return.” The figure spoke, the young Earl glaring in disgust towards the flower as he turned back towards the figure.
“How dare you waste my time!” He growled, turning towards Tanaka. “Get this ragged man out of my sight!”
“Maybe you shouldn’t expect only what you see, my lord.” The figure spoke once more, in a tone that almost sent chills down the stoic young earl’s back. “After all, we’re not always greeted with the truth.”
Ciel found himself frozen for a moment, before scrunching his face, angry about the time that was already wasted.
“Out of my sight! Now!” He cried out, uncharacteristically angry as Tanaka made his way over to the figure, hoping to assist him safely.
Before he could be touched, however, the hooded figure shone with a red light as his cloak became undone, revealing a tall, pale skinned, dark haired man dressed in fine clothing, strange yet oddly familiar to the boy, in some way he could not put his finger on. All four servants and Ciel watched as the red eyes of the man glared upon the shocked boy, who tried his best to form words.
“Wh-What is the meaning-“ Ciel tried to speak as the man loomed over him, silencing him as he spoke.
“If you were not so uncouth there you’d know to address me as Sebastian.” The man authoritatively growled, walking towards the boy. “And you would know to treat me with more respect than that.”
Ciel swallowed his shock in favor of his pride, glaring up towards the man as he put his hands on his hips and glared.
“And what makes you, ‘Sebastian’, think you have the right to disturb me? The most powerful boy in all England!” He announced, the servants cowering away as they saw he wasn’t afraid to challenge whoever this was.
An action he would regret quite quickly as the dark haired man’s red eyes shimmered with anger, contrary to the smirk that crossed his face.
“I see you have manners no greater than a dog’s.” Sebastian scolded, almost playfully, his red eyes glaring fiercely into Ciel’s blue ones as Ciel held his ground. “If this is how you wish to act…Might as well make your exterior match your interior, shall we?”
The young Earl watched in an unusual state of fear as a red aura consumed him, the man glaring the entire time.
“What…What are you-“
Before Ciel could say anything he felt his ears shift towards the top of his head, growing fur and turning pointed as he felt something grow out of his tailbone, the young Earl nearly gagging in pain as his canine teeth sharpened into a pair of fangs as his nose turned black, changing shape as fur grew on the bridge. He watched in terror as his gloves were torn by growth in his own hands, paw pads forming on his palms and the soles of his feet and the claws sharpening. He fell, unable to keep his balance amidst the agony and the shift in his weight. A yell escaped his throat as mysterious man watched, satisfied as the boy’s once blue eyes turned purple and canine, blinking a few times in response.
“I told you not to make slight thought of me by appearance alone.” Sebastian laughed to himself before turning towards the wolf boy, who was lifting himself up agonizingly, holding up the blue rose. “This rose will bloom until your eighteenth year. If you don’t break the curse before then, you will be doomed to remain like this forever and be forgotten by the outside world.”
“How do I break the curse?!” Ciel cried, for once not in control of himself as Sebastian leaned in with a sly grin, clearly with plans of his own that he wouldn’t state.
“You must find one person who truly loves you by your eighteenth year.” He explained, his eyes flickering with an almost excitement of sorts. “No fake love, no kissing your boot, true love. One that you feel in return.”
Sebastian waved his hand once more as a red aura consumed the mansion, darkness falling upon the building and all those within, grinning at the boy, who couldn’t even speak as he trembled, his new ears lowering as he looked up towards the demon, who shook his head with confidence.
“Don’t weep, young man.” He said, looking upon the mansion. “After all…This is simply one hell of a lesson for you, now.”
With a wave of the jacket, the man was gone, leaving the transformed Earl alone in his cursed mansion, one of which didn’t feel so spacious anymore as he was consigned to his fate.
The transformed Earl couldn’t speak, only able to rest his head as he had all but lost hope already. Who could ever learn to love him like this?