Into The Flames (Sebastian x Reader)

A Secret Uncovered

 I had expected the statement, I had known the words were coming.

But still. It was jarring to hear them spoken aloud, their mere vocal presence making the air heavy around us.

My jaw went slack with shock and I felt my mouth instantly go dry as I stared at the petulant child in front of me, sitting smugly behind his large desk.

Who had told them? And what did they want with me?

I closed my open mouth and swallowed hard, trying to rewet my throat before I attempted to speak. I knew there was no use trying to hide my emotions at this point. Both the little bastard across the table and The Suit had surely seen my blatant reaction to the statement they had just dropped on me without any warning.

"Who...." The word came out cracked, hoarse enough that I cleared my throat and tried a second time. "Who told you?"

"Does that really matter?" The kid spoke again, an annoying tone of triumph coloring his voice, as if he thought he'd already won by revealing my secret. He sat back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied me, his blue eye now swathed in shadows. "What matters is that I know. And that's why I brought you here."

"Tsk." I let a sound of annoyance slip out between my clenched teeth. "It was Bellamy, wasn't it? I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance."

He ignored my query, instead motioning for The Suit to come forward. He stepped up to the desk at his master's bidding and slid a piece of parchment across the wood toward me, as the brat continued, as if I hadn't spoken at all. "I want you to join us. Your little skill could prove to be useful."

I didn't look at the document, instead, I kept my glare focused on the kid in front of me, who had now leaned forward again, as if waiting for my answer.

"What is this? Some sort of contract?" I flicked my fingers at the paper on the desk between us, anger starting to break through into my words.

How dare this little child think he could blackmail me into helping him. I wasn't won over so easily, even if he did know my darkest secret.

"Yes." His tone was matter of fact, and I was surprised that he hadn't responded to my anger with anger of his own. "It merely states that you will remain in my employment until the job I have for you is finished. And that by doing so, I will keep your secret between the three of us."

I let out a bark of laughter, disbelief flooding my tone when I spoke. "Really. So you think that's all it takes for me to sign my loyalty away? An empty threat about a secret?"

He sat back into his chair and mirrored my stance from earlier, his fingers steepled in front of him, his gaze still not leaving mine. "You've spent your entire life keeping this secret. And now I know it. So yes, I believe that's enough to keep you in line."

I scoffed and sat back into my own chair, letting my arms dangle at my sides as I flashed him a smirk. "Well. I appreciate your cockiness. However. I'm not the type to enter into contracts with children." I reached out and slid the contract back over the desk to him, knocking over the queen and king figurine as I did so. "Thank you so much for the offer, young lord, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

I pushed back the chair and stood, meeting the gaze of The Suit as I did so. His expression was still unreadable, but his eyes glowed a slightly brighter crimson than before, as if there was some sort of sinister light swirling in their depths.

I offered him a slight salute, before I turned back to the kid sitting in silence at the desk, the unsigned contract before him, pale in the dim light of the room. I gave him an exaggerated and slightly mocking bow, a sneer on my lips, before I offered him my parting words. "Good luck with your mission, Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's guard dog and Head of the house of Phantomhive. I do hope we never meet again."

I turned on my heel and crossed the room. My hand was on the doorknob, when the kid spoke again, and something about his tone made me stop, frozen in my tracks completely against my will.

"What if I offered you something else as well?"

I forced out a laugh, even as chills went down my spine in reaction to the sinister undertone of his question. I answered without turning around, my frozen hand still resting on the doorknob. "And what could you possibly offer me that I would want, little boy?"

"Revenge."

One word. Yet it reverbated and filled the space of the large room instantly, as if it had been a million.

I felt my breath catch and I finally turned to face him, my hand falling limply at my side, sweat suddenly making my hands sticky underneath the gloves that hid them.

Ciel Phantomhive was staring at me, his azure eye seeming to glow in the light from the candles, as he gazed directly into my soul. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards into a small smile, as if he understood, as if he too had experienced the intense desire accompanied with the following question that was to be uttered.

"Well? You want to kill them, don't you?"