Pain and Trust on Tower Bridge

A blinding flash of light erupted from where Ash had been standing. The shock dried the laughter in Ciel's mouth and caused him to throw an arm up in front of his eyes. Everything went deathly silent for a moment and he suddenly felt like he was falling. The sound retuning all at once was deafening. He could hear the sound of London burning and of wind whipping through metal supports and supply crates. Sebastian's voice echoed and seemed to vibrate as it passed through him. The angel? Ciel could hear him too, stuttering about a demon. There was fear in the high squealing of the creature and Ciel wanted to laugh, wanted to smile and taunt, but that would have to wait.

He had felt like he was falling; he was right. As he was being pulled back into the waking world, the battle on the bridge continued. A large supporting structure collapsed under the pummeling of wing and boot. The floor sloped precariously and Ciel was thrown sliding off the edge of the bridge. Sebastian had asked for his eyes to remain closed. He squeezed them closed and he trusted that the demon would fulfil his orders, fulfil their contract. He trusted Sebastian would not betray him. The boy's hand caught the edge of the bridge and he held on with all of the strength in his small body.

A pained gasp escaped him. He had been injured and the puncture was now screaming at him. He felt fresh blood soaking his side and the muscles being stretched as he hung by one arm were protesting vehemently. Ciel bit his lip and he breathed through the pain, and through the panic. His feet dangled and his coat was whipped around his hips. Make him hurt, Sebastian; make him feel all of this pain, Ciel thought and he clenched his fingers tighter.

"Young Master, can you hold on until I count down from ten?"

Ten seconds and it would all be over. Ash hadn't lied about one thing. Time was a difficult thing to measure. How long had the beast had him ensnared? Thirty minutes, he said? Seconds, Ciel realized. Mere seconds. It took but a moment to nearly convince Ciel that his plans had gone wrong, that he had lost the game. He would never allow that to happen again.

"Yes." He didn't have breath for anything more elaborate.

Sebastian began to count down, and Ash began to scream. He screamed and he screamed. The boy curled into himself against the pain. Deep within his soul, he laughed and rejoiced and delighted in the creature's misery. His fingers slipped and he suddenly jerked as he tried to regain his grip. Ciel's arm was shaking against the strain of holding himself up. He could taste blood from where he chewed his lip. He was going to fall, and it would all be for nothing. He could not let that happen.

"I am Ciel Phantomhive. Ash Landers is a monster. I am not afraid of monsters. I will not scream." The words were barely above a whisper and he licked the blood from his lips as he spoke. As the conviction tumbled over his teeth and into the cold London night, he felt himself grow stronger. He whispered to himself and he listened to Sebastian count and the boy trusted he would live just long enough. The sound of flesh ripping and bones shattering mixed with the rustle of thousands of feathers. They were all sounds the boy of thirteen years knew unfathomably well. All sounds no boy should know at all. Then, the screaming stopped...

Ciel felt another flash of light above him but could do nothing further to shield his face. He heard Sebastian's steps across the bridge, metallic and sharp, like talons. "One."

Ten seconds.

"Master. It's done." Sebastian's voice was rich and velvety and proud. Ciel was thrilled. He slowly opened his eyes and for a moment was startled at the view. He turned his head upwards. Looking into those crimson eyes, Ciel realized torment did not own him, but the demon did, owned every part of him that could be owned, and the small part of him that couldn't be, Ciel had given to him freely.

The boy's lips pressed together with the corners tugged up. Perhaps this ordeal had taught him one or two things. He was reminded how to smile, truly and honestly. Sebastian looked down upon him with gentle eyes, glimmering with pride and something else. Affection? Possession, maybe? To Ciel, it didn't matter. Sebastian was his as much as he belonged to Sebastian and that was enough to make him happy and able to feel the satisfaction his completed revenge brought. Ciel locked eyes with his demon... and the boy let go.

~Fin~

A/N - So thank you for sticking with me all the way to the end. I've loved reading your comments and reviews. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it. I really enjoy taking a part of the story we all think we know, and showing what might be happening in the background, inside the characters heads. Also, I love Ash as a villain and I might enjoy writing him a little too much. Ciel is a fascinating character to explore and I hope you enjoyed the trip through his psyche, tortured past, and the acceptance of what his soul came to know the moment he was chained to that table. I'm a little sad the journey is over, but I am so glad I was able to take it and that you came with me.

So a question for you dears, is there anything you'd like to see from me next? A piece of the story you wished you knew more about? Some scene or story arc that doesn't quite make sense to you? I'm always looking for the next inspiring idea. Maybe it's yours. Drop me a line!