Into The Flames (Sebastian x Reader)

Contract of Revenge

We stared at each other, the boy and myself, for a moment of utter and complete silence, the air in the room heavy with anticipation.

Thoughts were racing rapidly through my head following his question, thoughts that had no direction and no order whatsoever.

He knew? He knew. Did he know where they were? How could he, he's just a child. No way he could grant this wish. Or could he? How was I to know if I didn't find out? I did want to kill them. I had wanted to kill them for as long as I could remember.

Revenge. Hatred. Death.

I physically shook my head, trying to clear the cacophony of thoughts from my mind, and focused back on the kid in front of me, his gaze still steadily on my face, the king figurine once again dancing between his fingers as he waited for my answer.

I swallowed hard and clenched my hands into fists at my side, feeling the fabric of my gloves rub against the hot and sticky skin of my fingers. "How could you possibly know where they are?"

I still didn't believe it. I had searched for years. Nothing. And here was this kid, this child, offering what I had been seeking from the palm of his hand, as if it were the easiest request in the world.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he wanted to smile, or found my question amusing, before he said, his voice confident, "I've been a part of the Underworld for a long time. I have my connections. And besides." He flicked his fingers at The Suit, who still stood silently and obediently at his shoulder. "Sebastian can find anyone that I desire."

I licked my lips, a nervous habit I had always given into, and unclenched my hands, stretching the fingers at my side as I studied the boy and The Suit, Sebastian?, in front of me.

I struggled silently with the battle in my mind.

What's the worst that could happen? I do this one job for the kid and then I get what I've always wanted, no, needed. Revenge.

But what if he didn't keep his end of the deal? What if I was walking into a contract with a little bastard who would screw me over the moment my back was turned?

But. Again. Could this be any worse than the life I had been living on the streets in the Underworld?

I raised my head, setting my shoulders as I met his gaze once again. I took a step toward the desk and planted my hands palm down on the wood, my eyes never leaving his face. "All right." The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I forced myself to continue. "I'll sign your contract. But." I held up a hand, a finger raised in the air. "How do I know you'll follow through once we're finished?"

Ciel Phantomhive allowed a small smirk to slide across his lips as he reached for the contract in front of him, pulling a pen from his breast pocket as he did so. "You have my word. I swear on the House of Phantomhive and my dead parents' graves." He signed the bottom of the contract with a flourish and then slid the papers and pen across the desk to me.

I glanced up at Sebastian, who still stood silently behind the young lord, and noted that he was following our movements intensely, a slight smirk gracing his lips as he did so, never saying a word. His eyes were deep crimson in the light of the candles as he watched me pick up the pen and hold it over the contract. I took in a deep breath, forcing my gloved hand to remain still and not waver, and signed the paper.

As soon as I was finished with my name, the kid motioned to Sebastian, who leaned over and collected the contract, rolling it up neatly before sliding it into his suit jacket. He stepped back as Ciel pushed his chair away from the desk and stood, his gaze suddenly disinterested as he casually flicked his fingers in my direction. "Good. We're done here for tonight. Sebastian will show you to your quarters."

I opened my mouth to retort at his bored tone when regarding me, but before I could say anything, Sebastian had appeared beside me, a candlestick held in his hand, and ushered me toward the door, opening it silently into the dark hallway beyond.

I glanced behind me as the door swung shut, and caught one last look at Ciel Phantomhive, standing, silhouetted against the dark window, gazing out silently into the night.

The door clicked shut and I followed Sebastian down the long corridor and deeper into the huge Phantomhive mansion. I tried to remember what turns and halls we took to get from the study to my room, but honestly, it all felt like a maze, and though the darkness of the night wasn't helping, I was sure that even in the daytime I would have a high possibility of losing my way.

We reached a large, dark wooden door at the end of one of the passageways, and Sebastian looked over his shoulder at me as he pushed it open, revealing a stately bedroom beyond. The candle flickered as I followed him in, a slight draft coming in through the open window, and making me shiver involuntarily.

Sebastian set the candlestick down on the dresser and crossed the spacious room to the open window, sliding it shut with a seamless click, before he turned back to me, a slight smile gracing his lips. "This will be your room while you are staying with us, Lady (L/N)."

I walked around the room, taking in the absolute gluttonous wealth that was reflected in the decor, and running my hand absentmindedly over the elegant quilt that covered the bed, I asked, "If anyone asks, why am I here? At the Phantomhive mansion?"

Sebastian's crimson eyes followed me as I continued circling the room, his hands held properly behind his back, not moving a muscle as he stood beside the dresser. "Ah, yes. You are a distant cousin of the Young Lord. You are simply visiting for a summer holiday."

"And he thinks this will work? Passing me off as a reputable lady?" I scoffed at his statement, stopping at the large wardrobe that stood across the room from the bed. I threw open the doors and was instantly barraged by a wave of silks and taffetas and velvets and lace in every color imaginable.

I stood, frozen, horrified by the sight before me, as Sebastian spoke up again from across the room, his voice holding a somewhat amused tone. "Trust me, Lady (L/N). The Young Lord has taken everything into consideration. He even had dresses brought in from the finest dressmakers in London for your charade."

I slammed the wardrobe doors shut and glared at Sebastian, who regarded me with an unreadable expression, his body still encased in stone. "How kind of him. And how did the young lord know I would even agree to this in the first place?"

The butler's lips quirked upward into a crooked smirk as he finally moved, picking up the candle from the side table, and making his way toward the door. "But you did agree, didn't you, Lady (L/N)?"

I felt my mouth drop open. He was right. I didn't have a leg to stand on. I had done exactly what that little bastard had predicted I would. I had walked right into their trap, and I had even shut and locked the door myself.

Before I could gather my wits to respond to him, Sebastian opened the door and with one last glance over his shoulder at me, standing, gaping, in the center of the room, he smiled once again and said in a low voice, "Good night, Lady (L/N). Have pleasant dreams."

And with that, he closed the door behind him, plunging the room into darkness and leaving me alone with my swirling thoughts.