“I can’t wait until tomorrow; I have to pick it up today or they’ll lock it away in a vault,” I growled, impatient with my butler.

“My apologies, young master, but you ordered me to do this tonight at all costs,” he replied evenly, not taking his eyes off of the finance plans for a certain factory in Salzburg. “Is it not equally imperative that this be done tonight?”

“…fine,” I said, turning away. “I’ll go and get it myself.”

“Alone? But it’s already grown dark, young master,” he protested, looking up at me now. “It could be hazardous to leave the mansion on your own. If you would only wait until the morning—”

“I can’t. I need it tonight,” I said, shaking my head. “I won’t be comfortable until I have it. I’ll be fine, and if I get into any trouble, I’ll call you. Unless I do, you’re to stay here and finish working out the bugs in that plan.” He seemed uneasy, but conceded.

“Yes, my lord.”

After a brief moment of awkwardness regarding the carriage and its operation (something I had never done on my own before), I set off into town, heading toward the bank. It was dark by the time I reached the bank building, and I dismounted the carriage uncertainly. As I feared, when I tried to pull the doors open, they were locked.

“Damn it,” I muttered. “If he hadn’t delayed me…”

“My, what a surprise to see someone so young out on his own; that’s potentially dangerous…” My mouth was suddenly covered by a cloth and the air tasted sickeningly sweet. A taste I recognized and feared. Within moments, I had lost consciousness.

…

“Ciel Phantomhive. What marvelous fortune on my part.” I woke to the sound of a familiar voice somewhere in my vicinity. My shirt was gone and my wrists were bound and attached to something that held me upright. I began to ask who was holding me captive, but my mouth was covered with tape, so I couldn’t speak.

“Mmf…” I muttered, shaking my head. I couldn’t see for a blindfold tied over my eyes, so I felt utterly helpless. “Hm zrr?”

“Ah ah ah, there’s no need to speak,” said that voice again, suddenly closer, and I felt warm skin against my chest. Without hesitation, I lashed out at my captor, kicking as hard as I could and striking a solid body. His breath was forced out in a cough and he laughed roughly. “Hm. I suppose that was my fault; I should’ve expected some resistance.” He took hold of my chin and turned my face upward.

“G’ d’ hmm…” I growled furiously as I recognized the voice. Of all people, that damned Viscount Druitt had kidnapped and restrained me, and now his infuriating voice was there, speaking, laughing in a depraved way.

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve brought you here. It’s quite simple. I’ve had my eye on you for some time; you remind me of a certain little robin I met once, a young lady of grace and charm I encountered at a party in London. Though I never did manage to get her name…” I stiffened, afraid he had realized that I’d deceived him and decided to exact some kind of revenge. “She too had a certain air of detached elegance about her, something I found very attractive; when I realized how alike you two are, I simply couldn’t help myself.”

“Ymm d’gmm mm…” I said, feeling the necessity to speak even when I knew he couldn’t understand me. I was furious, and I wondered if my speech being inhibited would hinder Sebastian from coming to my…rescue. I was slightly worried, because I’d told him not to interfere unless I called him, and I was unable to call him at the time.

“I must say, though, I didn’t expect your body to already be so thoroughly marked,” he said casually, and I sucked in a breath of realization and horror. His fingertip traced a bruise that was forming on my chest, a bruise formed by the mouth of a certain demonic butler, and I jerked away from him, mentally screaming for Sebastian. The viscount laughed and let his fingers trail down my chest. “Who’s been putting you through such rigorous treatment, I wonder? You don’t deserve to be treated so roughly.” He put his lips to my neck and I shivered in disgust, trying to push him away but finding myself trapped against a wall. The fact that my arms were immobilized didn’t help either.

“You see,” he said, slipping his arms about my waist and pulling me closer. He must have been shirtless as well, because I felt skin rather than cloth against my stomach. How utterly obscene… “Isn’t it nicer for a lover to be gentle? I’m sure it must be. Who would’ve had the heart to be so cruel and harm you so?”

Heart, or lack thereof…? I thought to myself, thinking of anything I could to take my mind off of what was happening to me in reality. My disgusting captor ran his tongue along the still-red outline of Sebastian’s teeth on my neck and I squirmed in repulsion. It seemed Sebastian had been right, and I shouldn’t have left the mansion. How was it that he was always right? When the viscount’s hand found its way below my waist, I let out a muffled shriek and kicked at him again, causing him to sigh in exasperation.

“How sad. It seems that even when I try to be gentle and kind, you prefer the rough methods. But that’s all right, I suppose; I’m not above being forceful when necessary.” With surprising strength, he shoved me violently back against the wall, causing my head to the collide with it in a way that not only hurt, it completely immobilized me for a moment. He took advantage of this opportunity by outlining my ear with his tongue and trailing one hand tightly down my outline. Slowly regaining my grasp of where I was, I struggled weakly, aware of nothing more than the pain in my head. “Ah, I can tell. You do like it better this way, don’t you?”

“Mmh…” I breathed softly, my chest heaving with the effort I had to put forth just to speak. “Hm hmm…”

“Mm-hm? I see,” he laughed, and I could practically see the smug smile on his face. “You’re very straightforward, little earl. I like that.” He whispered this last sentence in a way that made me feel unclean just from hearing it. I would have Sebastian give me a thorough bath when he came to get me. Of course, I had no doubt that he would appear; it was simply a matter of time…and of how far the viscount dared to go before he arrived.

I was brought out of this reverie and back to full consciousness by a sharp nip from my captor. I made an embarrassed noise in my throat and he laughed, kneeling in front of me and putting his filthy lips to my stomach.

“Rmmm mm!” I snapped (or, I would’ve). “Eh wmm!”

“Don’t fret, my little robin,” he said between brief but painful bites on my hips. Try as I might not to, I found myself blushing. “I’m only adding my own marks to the collection…” That made me furious; how dare he make such accusatory comments? How dare he imply such crude and inappropriate things?

“Ym mm eh wm t’ bfm m bmm…” I growled, holding my head high and assuring myself inwardly that Sebastian would could for me soon. I wrenched my hips away from the viscount’s obtrusive mouth, but he seemed to take this as an invitation.

“Well then, aren’t we just the impatient one,” he laughed, getting to his feet again. “But as I said before, I’m kind; I won’t make you wait…” He reached down and began to remove my pants, causing me to thrash and fight even harder; where the hell was my damned butler?!

“Oh, come now; there’s no need for all that,” my captor said, one of his hands wrapping around my throat and shoving me hard against the wall once more. I tried to fight still, but the inability to breathe made it rather difficult. “Hmm, that’s a good little robin. You don’t have to struggle anymore…”

“G’ d’ hmm,” I repeated feebly as he succeeded in removing my pants, leaving me clad in only undergarments before this perfect stranger. Needless to say, my face had turned crimson by this point. The viscount turned me around and pushed me face-first into the wall, causing my breathing and heart rate to quicken out of fear and rage.

“Well, I suppose it’s good that you like roughness…” he whispered in my ear, his unfamiliar hands running down my back. “That will make things easier for—ah!” My assailant was suddenly pulled off of me and I knew that Sebastian had come for me. My blindfold was untied and I was turned around to see my butler standing there with a sympathetic look on his face. I gritted my teeth as he pulled the tape form my mouth, and the first thing I said was,

“You’re late.”

“Forgive me,” he said, reaching up to unbind my hands. “But I had to pick something up on the way here, and it wasn’t easy to locate.” He took my hand and slipped the ring of the Phantomhive crest onto my middle finger. I glanced down at it and let out a sigh of relief; trust Sebastian to break into a bank to retrieve a piece of jewelry for me. Past my hand, I could see the Viscount lying half-naked on the floor. Disgusting. Sebastian cleared his throat and I looked up to see him holding my clothing, which he deftly helped me into.

“What’s this…?” he said just before he finished buttoning my shirt. Kneeling in front of me, he brushed the shirt aside and his brow furrowed. “It appears you’ve been attacked by some sort of insect…”

“Something like that,” I replied angrily. “That’s his doing.” Sebastian then turned a cold gaze down at the would-be rapist passed out on the floor.

“How vulgar. I apologize deeply for allowing this to happen to you, young master…” Sebastian said, prostrating himself before me.

“You can apologize properly another time,” I said, rubbing my wrist, which was sore from being bound by what turned out to be a leather strap. “For now, I just want to go home. Get me out of here.”

“Yes, my lord.”