One Hell of a Butler - Part 1

Title: One Hell of a Butler...
Pairings: SebastianxCiel
Warnings: Sebastian Michaelis being too sexy for his tux.  Other than that I shall state at the beginning of each chapter if there are any notty bits or explicitly gorey bits...
Age Rating: 12+ at the moment.
Disclaimer: The characters (Unless otherwise stated at the beginning of each part) are ALL copyrighted to Yana Toboso.
Warnings: Light cursing



One Hell of a Butler - PART 1
The Butler Fresh
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"Bocchan..."  I opened one eye groggily at the melodious sound of my butler's morning wake-up call, every letter slipping from his tongue as smooth as silk, resounding in the cavities of my ears as a soft purr.  Soft enough to lull me back to...
"My Lord, your tea is getting colder by the second.  I suggest that you refrain from re-closing your eyes and instead of trying to block my voice out and trying to fall back into your slumber, you concentrate on waking up.  You have a very long day ahead of you today and it's most definitely not to be wasted in your chamber between your bed-sheets."  My fists clenched under said sheets involuntarily, as did the small vein in my temple pulsate repeatedly, my teeth grinding together in annoyance.

How dare he speak to me with such informality!  Sebastian you bast-
An unknown scent penetrated my nostrils and my mind suddenly eased, forgetting the profanity as quickly as it had entered my thoughts.

"This morning my Lord, straight from the Japanese countryside we have the best Sakura tea imaginable.  I thought that your palette was lacking recently and so I took the opportunity to allow you to become accustomed to newer, more exciting teas.  You've always been saying that you want to broaden your horizons, I thought that-"  I cut him off sharply, uninterested in his cares about me.

"My paper...  I want to see the latest news."  He hands me the perfectly pressed newspaper which I crumple almost immediately, taking it from him, snatching it from his cotton-clad hands.  I strain my eyes to read the small print on the sheets of paper, the light streaming in through the windows, the curtains having been drawn without my knowledge.  My retinas unaccustomed to such a vast amount of light so suddenly.  He continues his little speech - the same one he performs every single morning, might I add - reciting what was on offer for my breakfast this morning.

"This morning we have for you to choose from: apple and date scones with a pinch of cinnamon, coupled with a harlequin jam especially pressed for this specific scone, the marriage of flavours spectacular!  A selection of butter pastries and fruited pastries, or how about-"  I cut him off again, ruining his perfected little verse.

"Toast, three slices Sebastian.  I do not wish for jam on my toast.  I care for some heather honey from the Highlands in Scotland.  From the comb, preferably."  Glancing up briefly from my newspaper, I flick my gaze up at him to find a rather strained smile.

"Of course my Lord."  I take a sip of my tea and grimace, scrunching my nose up at the clash in flavour.

"Sebastian..."  His eyes reopen and he remains smiling, yet I knew that my demands were annoying him somewhat.

"Yes, bocchan?"  He smiled ever so sweetly and I knew that this next request of mine would piss him off to no extent.

"For future reference Sebastian, cane sugar does not bode well with Sakura tea.  I would like a fresh cup with a teaspoon of honey, instead of sugar."  He remains silent and reaches out, taking the cup of tea from my hands and bows.

"As you wish, my Lord."  And with that he wheeled the trolley containing the assortment of breakfast goods from my room and then he was gone.

Peace at last!  I folded the newspaper in half, placing it neatly upon my bedside table and plunged back under the covers, my hair flopping messily over my eyes.  Relaxing back into my abundance of pillows, I found sleep consuming me a lot quicker than I expected it to and dozed off no sooner than 30 seconds later.  It was only another 30 seconds later that the silken bed-sheets that adorned my body were whipped from me.
A cold draught of air clung to the bare patches of skin that were on show, causing me to shudder involuntarily and I groaned, opening my eyes a lot quicker than before to find my butler stood above me, a fresh tea set and my toast atop a silver tray balanced perfectly upon the tips of his glove-covered fingers.

"For the love of all things Holy young master, please can you stay awake?  You really do have a terribly busy day today and I'm afraid we shall be running behind schedule if you do not finish your breakfast soon."  I go to speak, wanting so desperately to put him in his place but he beats me to it, his statement catching me off guard.
"I'm afraid that if we fall behind too much I shall not have time to make you that chocolate and raspberry parfait that I've been ever so desperate to make you..."  I growled at him as he placed a finger to his mouth and sighed, glancing away from me.

As if I didn't know what he was up to!  He knew me from the inside out, every little last drop of information that painted my every brain cell.  Although I was somewhat oblivious to the way in which the world worked, I knew exactly the way the mind worked.  Whether it be a 5 year old child, a 50 year old man or a 5000 year old demon, I knew exactly when someone was trying to manipulate me or my feelings and Sebastian was most definitely.  And with sweets no less!  He certainly did know me better than I liked.  To the extent where it actually quite pissed me off.
He really was a conniving bastard!

Removing the newspaper from the table he set down the tray and sat down on the side of my bed glancing over the front page of the newspaper as I reach over for my freshly brewed cup of tea.

"It's unusually quiet on the city front my Lord.  Very peculiar."  I nod, sipping on the bone china cup before taking a bite from the crisped bread in my other hand.

"Quite."  Just as I lift the toast to my mouth to take another bite, I felt his thumb brush against the corner of my mouth.  Flinching, I slap his hand away with my free hand.
"How dare you touch me so nonchalantly!  I'm in my right mind to-"  He ignores me and brushes his thumb further along my mouth.

"It's very unbecoming for a young Earl such as yourself to consume food so sloppily.  You've got crumbs and honey halfway across your face."  His smile turns into a devilish smirk and he cocks his head.  Almost immediately I feel a blush come over me, my cheeks heating up considerably.
I wipe the back of my hand over my mouth, showing him that I can clean my face myself but he continues to shake his head.
"So uncouth, Bocchan."  My nose wrinkles and he leans over, pressing my eyepatch over my eye and leaning a little closer he ties it fairly tightly around the back of my head, his fingers nimbly working at the straps.  He then proceeds in combing my fringe through his fingers, the strands of hair falling neatly over the leather patch.
"I've never known anyone to wake up in the morning without the need to tidy up their hair.  You constantly astound me, Bocchan."  He removed the tray from my lap as I took another sip from my cup, crunching on the remnants of the toast in my mouth before sipping some more tea.  Reaching out I place the half empty cup on the tray before it became too far for me to reach.

Pushing myself from the bed my bare feet hit the Persian rug that was spread generously across the wooden floor.  Walking across the room I stretch, my arms high above my head, and yawn, glancing out of the window to the garden below.
Finnian, the gardener, was down below pruning the hedges.  He always did do such a splendid job with the upkeep of my gardens.  The flowers were blooming a vibrant spectrum of colours, all different shapes and sizes.  He paused momentarily before he gazed up and he grinned, waving at me like a fool.  I nodded at him just barely, acknowledging his gesture, finding a smile at the corner of my lips.
I couldn't - or rather I wouldn't - allow myself to lose my composure in front of Sebastian like that.  He would no doubt fault my behaviour immediately, telling me that 'it's no way for a Lord to act, relating to commoners like that'.
In all fairness Finnian was just in my age range and, being the anti-social human being that I was, he was the only... Like a friend but not exactly one.  He was my gardener.  How could someone of my stature possibly have a mere gardener as an acquaintance?  He merely consoled me when I was upset, entertained me when I was bored and talked to me when I was lonely.  He was my gardener and nothing more.

I had five servants in total.  Each of which served their purpose.  Finnian, of course, was my gardener.
Mey-Rin, my only female servant, was the maid.  She washed, cleaned and dusted and kept my mansion generally tidy.  As well as Finnian I found that she was quite easy to talk to.  Though she seemed impossible when Sebastian was around.  I could never understand why.  In my honest opinion, I could see why she'd be scared of him.  He even scares me sometimes...
Bardroy was somewhat older - not as old as my fourth servant, Tanaka - but not any older than 30.  He was my chef and cooked my meals.  He always came out on tops, producing only the best quality meals with only the best quality ingredients.  I would not stand for any less.  The only thing that he did not cook for me were the desserts that I enjoyed at least twice a day.  Sebastian and only Sebastian was allowed that job, his desserts being by far the most exquisite that I had ever consumed.
Aforementioned Tanaka was the only servant that I had been with all my life.  He had watched over and helped me to grow up in the town house along side my parents and I'm almost certain that he had been with my mother and father long before I had ever been thought of.  The need to keep him close to the house was purely emotional.  I hadn't the heart to let him go after he had been with my family for so long.
And of course there was Sebastian.  Sebastian needed no introduction nor did he need a description of any kind.  He was just Sebastian Michaelis and he was merely my butler.
And he was one Hell of a butler at that!

to be continued...