Chapter Text
It wasn't a bad life, truly. He was happier now than he had been in… a very long time. That was what worried him.
Another year had passed and Harry found himself thawing. It was dangerous and completely not good for his mental health but he couldn't make himself leave. For one there was the deal with Sebastian still in effect and then he just... got complacent. It was like the occupants of the manor each had a tiny flame. On their own they would do nothing but together and with a decent amount of time they were starting to melt the ice he'd used to safeguard his very fragile heart. He wasn't quite sure what to do about that.
For some reason Ciel seemed to take comfort in Harry despite his cruelty and sarcasm. The demon just couldn't understand why a child that was so jaded could take comfort in a being that would have no qualms murdering him for amusement. The boy hadn't shown any inclination to seek comfort from Sebastian which would have made more sense considering the demon was under contract to not betray, but protect, Ciel. No, instead, he turns to the feral demon unloading all of his problems and taking the sarcastic return feedback with a grain of salt.
Maybe Ciel always came to Harry when he was having troubles with nightmares or being the head of a family at such a young age because he wanted to keep his unbendable image up for Sebastian, though the older demon already knew everything that was happening. Harry who would keep the child's counsel and could refuse any orders he didn't want to follow. Sebastian, he knew, would mock Ciel in that infuriating way of his if the little lord ever went to him.
Harry didn't know why but the child was special. The demon could feel it in his gut and he always followed his gut, so he mostly stayed his harsh comments and sarcasm and instead drew upon his old boxed away human emotions and offered comfort. Harry hated commitment and anything resembling connections or bonds but he had stayed here longer than he had ever stayed anywhere in this dimension so maybe he could put up with staying even longer. Though, most times Harry still thought Ciel was an annoying little brat and his orders were even more so.
Like having him stand out here even when they all knew what was going happen.
Harry was by Tanaka behind Ciel's chair trying and somewhat succeeding at stifling his laughter. Sebastian was straightening his gloves as the martial artist across from him took a funny pose. It was probably an attack stance but some of the postures that humans had come up with were funny. The man lunged and Sebastian barely moved from his spot to dispatch his 'opponent'. Harry was now bent over clutching his stomach, his face turning red from trying to hold in his mirth. Ciel would try to reprimand him later if he laughed and Harry just didn't feel like dealing with that.
"Th-that was the ultimate secret technique of our school! When the Fierce Tiger and Dragon roar, ten thousand flowers scatter and split fist…You fiend! Who the hell are you!?"
Sebastian turned his head slightly regarding the human still on the floor while flexing his fingers. There was a slight sting which meant that move really was strong. At least for a human made attack.
"I am the Butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that I can manage a technique as elementary as this," Sebastian stated condescendingly.
Harry couldn't help it. Peals of laughter escaped his lips as his shaking became too much and he dropped to the ground. He would just avoid Ciel later. This entire situation happened often and for some reason it was still hilarious, maybe because if how outlandish it was.
There was a set routine. Sebastian would defeat whichever outlandish martial artist Ciel managed to procure from nowhere. The Phantomhive butler would tell Ciel what his lessons were for the week before he rounded on the servants. Mey-Rin, Finny, and Baldroy would get chewed out for not doing their jobs so they would quickly rush back to work. It was the same every time!
Harry decided that repetition would only be amusing for a set number of times before he'd get bored so it was better to interrupt the pattern now. After the servants had scurried back inside the manor Harry, who was now upright, looked at Ciel.
"If you are so desperate to see Sebastian on his knees, you should just order him to fight me with mortal limitations."
Ciel turned a scowl to the impudent and uncollared demon that had lived in his manor for close to three years. The young looking demon had a point. He would like to see who would come out on top of a battle between his two resident demonic beings. He contemplated asking him to fight Sebastian right now when he caught sight of the demon's gloved right hand.
He remembered the night in which he had first seen the brand mark. A caduceus similar to his own but surrounded by spiky lettering that shaped a triangle instead of a circle. The scarred flesh had been raised and ugly and most certainly not something he'd been expecting to see on a demon's palm. It had shut him up very quickly while rousing his curiosity. When he had finally finally gotten to ask about it he had discovered information that was crucial to understanding the new resident of his manor. Well, as much as one could understand a demon.
Hadrian the Demon had been trapped just as Ciel had been. Forced to serve a master with no contract to protect him. If Ciel had had that power over a demon there were so many ways he could take advantage of it. The boy shuddered to think the kinds of things corrupt and greedy beings, like the cultists, would do. Oh, and he was also half human which was another crucial puzzle piece that he'd had to ruminate over. Seeing the brand had startled him but hearing the brief explanation behind it had changed how he viewed the feral demon. Ciel couldn't, at first, figure out what exactly had changed but he knew something had. Something essential.
It was only after a year or so had passed that he finally realized. He had started seeing the much older being as a someone that shared his trauma, his burdens. Someone that understood his pain and could listen without calling him weak because Harry had gone through the same thing . He would never live it down if Sebastian had found out about his terrible heart wrenching nightmares that almost verged on debilitating. He was the strong and reliable Ciel Phantomhive, Head of Phantomhive household and the Queen's Watchdog. So he hesitantly went to Harry expecting Sebastian to crow about his weakness to him the next day but nothing happened and so Ciel went to Harry again and again and- He had grown attached. He had someone he could lean on just like before the kidnapping. It was painful and relieving all at once.
Sebastian, on the other hand, was Sebastian. He was the pawn to exact his revenge. The only truly reliable piece he could play in his never ending game. He needed the demon just as much as he wanted to kill him.
He scrunched his eyes to pull himself back to the present. Right. Harry had mentioned fighting Sebastian. Unfortunately, Chlaus was coming so there was no time for the battle.
"Sometime I would like to see that battle but I had a call from Chlaus in Italy. Sebastian I need to talk to you about it. Come."
"Very well, sir."
Harry sighed. He came so close to getting to fight. It was interesting around the manor what with all the accidents the servants caused but he still hungered for carnage and souls. Mischief certainly helped control the urge. He didn't know how Sebastian could starve himself so. The worst thing was that, for whatever reason, every time he went on one of his little vacations all the interesting cases happened and Harry hated being bored just as much as he hated missing entertainment. So he was saving vacation time for later in hopes of actually seeing some of the action.
The small demon followed after Sebastian and Ciel plotting ways to get his little battle out of Sebastian. Truth be told he was interested in how strong the older demon was when he was hungry because the man hadn't eaten a good soul in a few hundred years. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon apparently so he decided he could wait. He was great at waiting.
Harry was waiting out in the hallway of Ciel's study while the two discussed what was going to happen when Chlaus got there. He wasn't really thinking of anything of importance because the study door opening made him forget whatever had been idly running through his mind. Sebastian turned toward Harry who hiding in the shadows and handed him a neatly written list.
"Please fetch the herbs from the garden and while you're there make sure that all the other servants are doing their job."
Harry nodded and melted into the shadows before stepping out into the garden in the shade of a large tree. He set to work pulling the herbs out by hand, not minding the twenty minutes it took to do so. While he hated the Dursleys, they did give him a passion for cooking and gardening. And the herbs tasted better handpicked then gathered with magic or demonic energy anyway.
The demon walked into the manor, waving to Finny as he passed him, and headed towards the kitchen. There was a shattering noise that made him wince in dismay. Mey-Rin had dropped porcelain again. Unfortunately, when one of them created a mess all of them created a mess.
Harry hesitantly turned back to look at the gardens and nearly cried. His precious Lilies had been turned into a mass of shriveled brown vines again along with the rest of the garden. Living things were much harder to restore than inanimate objects.
He closed his eyes and counted. One. Two. Three. BOOOM! Yep there went Baldroy… Everything was in ruins now…
It was just another one of the daily and entertaining occurrences at Phantomhive manor. But this time there was a guest coming and that made Harry groan. If a guest was coming then Sebastian was going to have Harry do all the grunt work due to his own restrictions. Ah man...
After carefully setting the herbs in the charred kitchen, which he fixed with a snap of his fingers, he went to find the three incompetent retainers, which were huddled together in the foyer and crying. They most likely feared Sebastian's wrath. Well, he would too if he were a human that messed up the work a demon had to do every day. Maybe he should snap at them again to see their reactions? Last time it hadn't been nearly as satisfying, their mostly theatrical fear leaving a slight bitter tang in the back of his throat.
Sebastian, who had just appeared walking down the large staircase, looked as if he were about to bite someone's head off. At least the crow could still take amusement from their cowering.
Harry glanced around. What could be done with what they had? The yard had to be completely scrapped which would just leave them with dirt and rock. Okay it could probably be turned into a rock garden like they had in Japan; a lot of the herbs he'd picked could be used in Japanese cuisine or made good substitutes anyways. Well the tea set could just be cleaned up and replaced (magically fixed later). Now to suggest it.
"You know, Sebastian, Japan has a wonderful selection of sweets this time of year. You really should get me some," Harry stated casually watching the reactions of the servants.
Baldroy gave him a weird look but Mey-Rin and Finny looked at him as if he were the most angelic presence they had ever been in. How ironic an angelic demon… Harry turned his attention back to Sebastian as he was having an epiphany over Tanaka's tea cup and Harry's statement. The butler gently took the Japanese style tea cup from the old man's hands and stated, "We shall make do with this."
Sebastian turned to Harry with a frightening gleam in his eye and said that he was going to be helping. Harry sighed. An hour later he knew he was right about that bad feeling. The laundry list of stuff he had to do was so bloody long that if he wasn't a demon it would have been absolutely impossible to get even half of the stuff done. Harry ended up cleaning the entire manor, buying and grabbing everything they needed from London (and bloody Japan to make it more authentic), set up the rock garden with Finny, help Mey-Rin set up the table by the garden, and cook the meal that was to be served. Wasn't being a demon wonderful ?
"Welcome Mister Chlaus!"
Harry listened half-heartedly as the guest was greeted at the door. He always did hate the stifling formality he was forced to have whenever a guest was over. The only reason the half demon didn't just disappear when people came over was because Sebastian would chew him out later about being respectful and acting like a proper servant. Sebastian was also the only reason he put up with it because he got to voice his complaints to the older demon afterwards. Even the small attachment he had formed to Ciel didn't make him want to suffer through so many formalities. But he did so stoically and grudgingly.
He silently followed Sebastian out to the main gardens which he and Finny had painstakingly transformed into a garden the Emperor would be jealous of. There was a niggling in the back of Harry's mind that was bugging him. His gut was also churning and it was leaving him slightly irritated. Something was going to happen soon, all of his instincts were pointing towards that. The annoying thing was he couldn't figure out what it was going to be; good or bad.
After the Italian had left Harry decided he was going to have a two day vacation. Something was going to happen and if he stayed around the manor he was going to go stir crazy trying to figure it out. It would be pretty terrible if he ended up missing it but he needed out. His vacation was going to be short so he could hopefully be back in time for the action for once.
Harry devoured over ten souls (a new record for such a short period of time) while getting more and more irritated. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to use any of his magic but with how bad his gut was churning... While Ciel knew that he had magic, (after much cajoling on the child's part and he still wasn't sure why he'd actually said anything) Harry also knew the boy would keep his secrets just as he did for him. Sebastian… did not know and he felt very uneasy letting the older demon know why the King of Hell wanted him. He was a freak of nature no matter how you looked at it, magic didn't exist in this dimension, he was a half-demon, and Lucifer wanted him as a trophy for his collection.
Something in his chest twisted painfully at the thought of Sebastian abandoning him just like all the others in his life had done when they found out what he was (How cruelly ironic that it was the human part that might scare someone off instead of the other way around). He didn't like actually disappointing Sebastian no matter how much he needled at the other. Goddamn his human heart and bloody feelings. He'd thought he'd gotten rid of them and then that blasted crow had to slither his way into his life and then go and ask for help. What kind of demon asks for help on a contract anyway?
It took a carriage almost running him over to pull him from his spiralling thoughts.
Harry glanced up at the sky and noticed that the sky was starting to lighten. If he jogged at a decent pace back to the manor he would be there by mid afternoon. The ravenette focused on meditating during his jog, losing himself in the rhythm. He needed to strengthen his occlumency shields gradually just in case things went to hell in a handbasket. Worst case scenario was a hunter showing up and he really really hoped it wasn't that. He didn't need that right now.
Upon entering the manor doors just before twelve, Harry gaped. Then his stare turned into utter horror at all the pink and girly decorations. This could only mean one person and Harry was not going to have a run in with her again. Last time he did, he almost killed her and both Ciel and Sebastian had been most displeased.
Harry quickly hopped up onto the chandelier in the entrance hall and just in time to watch a small girl in a poofy pink dress come running from one of the lounge rooms. Her curled blonde tresses bobbed as she swung her head side to side looking for whoever had come in. When there was no one to be found, a pout formed on her creamy face and her green eyes grew slightly watery.
"I could have sworn that I heard someone come in. The servants said that Ciel should still be in London so it must have been that really cute boy with the green eyes from before. I never see him anymore," she mumbled to herself.
Harry shuddered knowing she was talking about him. The chandelier creaked in protest at the extra weight and movement so Harry stilled. The young girl looked around a bit more before she dejectedly slipped back into the lounge room where it looked like all the other servants were being forced into frilly, supposedly, cute clothes. Harry made a noise of disgust right when the door finished closing. He absolutely despised girly colors and frills. The only one that was slightly okay was a nice dark purple.
He liked dark colors with some silver or gold trimming thrown in here or there. He had always secretly like Slytherin colors much more than Gryffindor. Red, the color of blood was beautiful, but the yellow in the Gryffindor colors was much too loud and boisterous for him though he would have never admitted that while he was at Hogwarts. Of course he still hadn't admitted it out loud but still…
It was two hours of definitely not hiding (he wasn't to going to risk running into the girl while in an agitated state)before Ciel and Sebastian arrived home. He watched as Sebastian was forced into a pink bonnet and Ciel was hugged over and over by the little evil blonde monstrosity. Harry was, by that time, convulsing in silent mirth which gave away his position to Sebastian.
"Hadrian come down from there and help me set up this ball. Lady Elizabeth is already gone," Sebastian said with a fake smile plastered on his lips.
The small demon shuddered. He was going to get a taste of Sebastian's sadistic side. It wasn't pain that he used, that Harry could easily put up with; oh no he liked to force Harry to do long arduous tasks without any help. Gardening and cooking were okay and so was cleaning every once in a while when he was in the mood but Harry despised deep cleaning without a little extra help. So he decided to play it off as if he was never hiding in the first place as he hopped down to the floor.
"Sebastian you're lucky that I would get in trouble for killing that girl and that I'm such a nice person. She is just so horrible with her obsessions and it disgusts me. And what did I tell you about my first name!"
Sebastian raised a brow. It was hard to remember that this boy ate souls just like him. Hadrian acted so convincingly human sometimes. The only indication that he was a demon was knowing that he had known the smaller male for hundreds of years, his casual talk about murder and eating souls, and the little vacations that he took off to actually go eat those souls.
"Then I will give you some jobs outside of the manor to accomplish. How does that sound Hadrian?"
Harry grit his teeth at the way Sebastian mockingly said his first name but replied that it was fine. "But I need swedish hot cocoa and I am requesting that you get it for me."
"I know I said anything you want, but do you really need more sugar," Sebastian questioned.
"Is that even a viable question? Of course I need it!"