𝕊𝕀𝕊𝕋𝔼ℝ... || Black butler x reader

[44] "Take before you're taken from"

Sebastian walked out of the burning manor carrying you and Ciel. Your eyepatch was off, showing your glowing purple eye with the contract seal like your brother. Doll noticed your purple eyes as she stood, arriving too late. "Black, Beauty and Smile. What, hold on a minute. What are the three of you doing here? What's going on? And where's Joker?" She demanded to know "I'm sorry to inform you but he passed away." Sebastian informed her as her eye went wide.

"I don't understand, Black. What are you saying? Smile? Beauty? Come on, talk to me!" She pleaded as she grabbed your coats but her hands were knocked away by Ciel. "Get your lowly hands off me and my sister!" He shouted as Doll seems surprised at seeing this side of him. "We've been investigating a series of child abductions, on her majesty's orders. Perhaps you're familiar with what I'm speaking of?" Sebastian asked as Doll backed away in disbelief.

"You mean... you really are with the yard? You came to arrest us?" She asked as Sebastian shook his head. "No. On the contrary. We came to erase you. In the name of Phantomhive, her majesty's guard dog and butterfly." Sebastian clarified as Doll connected everything. "You're the guard dog and butterfly? There's no way! The Earl of Phantomhive, the countess? Impossible!" She said in a light voice

"You, Smile? Beauty, you're the girl they're always talking about? You're actually... Phantomhive's? No. Then it was all just a lie. All of it... really?" She asked as her voice cracked. "Yes, that's right. My name is Ciel, and I am the head of House Phantomhive. We have a singular responsibility to the queen. We dispel her worries. Which is why Kelvin and Joker needed to die. And so we saw to it." Your brother explained as he looked at her with a cruel gaze.

"'Take before you're taken from' that is a rule for people who live in the slums. You never really paid attention to that rule so we took from you." You said calmly as Doll fell on her knees and sobbed loudly before pounding the ground with her fist. "You'll pay... you'll pay! You will pay for this! I'll kill you!" She declared as she grabbed her knife and ran towards you three with a dagger, aiming to stab either of you. In the end she never did.

You, Ciel and Sebastian stepped out a carriage and proceeded to a train when a little girl ran up to you. "Pardon, madam! Care for an orange? It's nice and fresh!" She asked as you paused while Sebastian and Ciel proceeded, unknowing you had stopped. "Why, I'd love one. Hmm... could I buy two? I'm afraid I don't want to share such a delicious orange with my brother, I'm sure he'd like one of his own." You requested as she happily handed you two as you put them in your coat pocket and in turn pulled out a bag of coins and some Funtom lollipops.

"These are Funtom sweets, really popular with kids around your age, there's caramel, milk and strawberry. Take them, I loved them when I was much younger." You told her as she looked at them in amazement, "Wow! Thank you mistress! I wish you well on your long journey!" She said as you smiled at her before boarding the train and entering your cart.

"What took you so long?" Ciel asked as you smiled at him and gave him one of the oranges you bought. "A young girl asked me if I wanted an orange, I got one for you as well." You told him as he huffed and simply pulled you down to sit next to him as the train began moving.

"My lord, my lady. I confess there is something I don't quite understand." Sebastian said as he grabbed Ciel's orange before beginning to peel it. "What is it?" He asked. "Why are you both so interested in visiting their old workhouse?" He asked as your eyed widened at his question. "In case you hadn't noticed, its patron is quite literally dead. It can't possibly keep its doors open for much longer without one." You answered "Lord Burton and his lot would probably be willing to donate, and we don't mind setting the wheels in motion." Ciel added

"Out of the goodness of your hearts?" Sebastian asked "Dealing with the aftermath is part of a Phantomhive's job. There's no need to sacrifice innocent members of above board society to the machinations of the underworld." Ciel answered as he rested his head in your shoulder. "Then why did we burn the manor with the children inside?" He asked as Ciel took off his glove to take an orange slice. "We've seen enough victims to know how this sort of thing will play out. Once they end up like that, there's no returning to normal. They're too damaged." You added.

"So you decided they were better off dead than living like that. How very arrogant of you, my lady, my lord." Sebastian teased. "How many humans have you met who aren't arrogant in some way?" Ciel asked him as he ate the orange slice. "Huh... none at all, my lord. Your assessment is spot on." Sebastian praised. "Think about it for a moment. How much strength do you suppose it takes for somebody- especially somebody weak, like a child- to recover from that kind of trauma? We know from experience." You stated as you ate the slice your brother fed you.

"Moments before I had broken completely, I had summoned you. And with you came the strength that I needed to recover. You were also able to help Y/n recover. Given their own demons, the others might have been fine. But you were the only one there, and you belong to us." Ciel declared "We're absolutely arrogant, and we don't deny it. However, you see we're not arrogant enough to assume we can save those who are utterly lost." You explained as Sebastian nodded. "I think I understand, my lady, my lord."

The train had stopped at the station and allows you three to depart to look for the workhouse.
"What? Renbourn Workhouse, eh?" A man asked Sebastian. "Yes, I wonder if perhaps you would be kind enough to take us there?" Sebastian requested "Well I don't mind takin' ye since it's on me way and all. But what a noble wants with that place, I can't say I understand." The man reassured as Sebastian paid him. "Just a trifling errand." The man looked won at the coin before reminding. "I won't promise ye a comfortable ride."

You and Ciel sat on the wagon as Sebastian walked when you heard kids singing Tom the Piper's son as they skipped down the road together and laughed. "Seems to be a rather popular song these days." You commented as you remembered all the lies to had told the main cast to get to them, especially Doll who you had to use the same tricks you used on noblemen your age to get her to open up to you and be vulnerable. The wagon stopped as the driver pointed to the top of a hill. "Over this hill, here is where you're headed." He directed as you both hopped off.

You two walked up the path to see a burnt down workhouse, no kids, no one to greet you two, just the remains. "This shouldn't come as a surprise but it appears Lord Kelvin was lying about the workhouse." Sebastian pointed out as you two continued walking, wide eyed. "It's completely deserted and dilapidated. And likely has been so for quite some time." She added as he kneeled down to pick up a teddy bear.

"Given what the good doctor said before. Well... I doubt the orphans who were here met a pleasant end." He continued as you and Ciel walked a bit further before pausing as your breathes became shaky. "What is is, my lord, my lady?" Sebastian asked as you two shared a look before chuckling and bursting into full blown laughter. "There was nothing this whole time! Everything they thought they were protecting..." Ciel said before laughing some more as you continued. "It was long gone and they had no idea! What great fools they were! They were so desperate to preserve this place." You laughed and used your brother as leverage to hold yourself up as you knees came weak at the laughter.

"They even died for it!" Ciel added as you both toppled over onto the grassy ground, laughing even more. "We human are a breed apart. Trampling each other like insects." You said as you got up and dragged your brother with you as you lazily danced. "We're cowardly! And we're base! Petty and small and nasty. We're more demonic than demons are!" He added as he posed with you and held your leg and allowed you to lean back on his arm(Like one of those dramatic end of the fancy dance pose- you get what I mean).

"We're just like them, don't you see? We're full of it." Ciel asked as he looked at his hand that was behind your back and holding your arm. "The same ugliness within them courses through our veins as well. This... this is just how humans are." You said as you stood back up straight and shouted to the man along with your brother. "Sebastian, do you understand us? It's who we are!" The man looked at you both in surprise before smiling "Assuredly. Yes, my lord, my lady."

Then the ribbon on Ciel's hat came loose, eventually untying fully before beginning to fly away, the ribbon in your hair also came loose, flying along with his ribbon as no one really made a move to retrieve either of the two and allowed them to go where the wind took them.