(Untitled)

[thatdemon]

Characters: Sebastian Michaelis and Ciel Phantomhive
When: forwarded to the 13th
Where: Morgue, hospital lobby
What: Sebastian and Ciel arrive in Abax.
Open or Closed? Closed
Rating/Warnings PG-13 - Blood/injury

Comments

[thatmaster]

Considering Sebastian's current state, it took longer than it really should have for what was happening to sink in with Ciel, and even longer for him to act. Having Sebastian as a sort of safety blanket was, for the most part, a good thing, but in times like these it seemed a little less so. Instead of really taking the time to take in his surroundings, he'd simply walked through this place as if he were walking down the hall in his own home, confident that, no matter where he was or what situation he was in, Sebastian would be there to fix things. The realization that said butler was in no state to help anyone out of anything hit him like a splash of cold water to the face. The boy had prepared himself mentally for many different things...Sebastian not being around had never been one of them.

The copious amounts of blood surrounding Sebastian, which hadn't phased him just moments before, suddenly made him feel ill as he moved forward through the small puddle that dripped onto the floor from the table Sebastian had just been laying on. Ciel probably would have been more useful cooking dinner in the kitchen than he would be with helping in this situation. Helping a regular human with a normal injury would have been confusing, but helping a demon with an injury from a death scythe? Where did he start?

There was a worried look around the empty room once he closed the small space between them. Nothing helpful. There was a small wave of panic that washed over him as the realization that he really had absolutely no idea where they were, no idea how they'd arrived there, and no idea where they could go for help set in. Reluctantly, he reached out for Sebastian, pale fingers looking even paler against the red staining the thin paper cover he was wearing. The touch to his side was careful, but far from delicate. "We should...Stop the bleeding..." There wasn't a scratch on Ciel's body, but he seemed to be having as hard a time of thinking as Sebastian was. It wasn't very often that nerves got the best of the young earl. "You can make it out of here, can't you?" Yes, that was great idea. Have the man, who just so happened to be bleeding profusely, walk around a little, into a completely unexplored and unfamiliar area.

[thatdemon]

Oh, good. Ciel was finally getting it. Just in time, too, as Sebastian's vision was beginning to swim. Yes, stop the bleeding. But there was nothing on hand. They would need something to wrap tight around his chest, cover the wound--bandages, preferably. But where would they find bandages in a morgue? He looked down then at the ground, and caught sight of something he hadn't noticed before. Wrapped around his toe was a...a tag. With the way it was soaked in the blood from the floor, and how his vision becoming steadily more blurry, he couldn't make out the words on it, but it was a curious enough thing to give him pause. But a moment later he decided it was no matter. Much more important matters to tend to. "I can try," he responded, the words sounded choked, "but I will lose more blood."

Oh, he'd already lost more than what any human should have been allotted--and there was nothing to help him in here. It was a sacrifice he had to make. With a slow nod he took an uncertain step forward, past Ciel, still using the tray beside him as a support. He reached out his opposite arm, clearly intending for Ciel to take it--and, strangely enough, to support him for once. He had a plan already: he would use the tables lining the wall to support him as they made their way down the length of the room. And that was just what he began to do. And when there stopped being tables? Well, he would have to come up with a new strategy, then. But for now, this was the solution. And perhaps his vision was even worse than he thought, because it seemed as though Ciel was actually uncertain. It wasn't often that Sebastian bore witness to such a rare event as Ciel Phantomhive doubting himself. But then again, what could one expect? The situation was rather dire, and neither of them had any idea whatsoever what to expect: a difference neither of them were used to, used to being the ones firmly in control of the game at all times. But there was no ace up Ciel's sleeve this time.

[thatmaster]

The role reversal was one of the stranger things happening in Ciel's mind, and that was saying something. When had Sebastian ever needed his help? Had things been somewhat different, the whole thing would have been terribly amusing to him. As it was, he was beyond uneasy. Even when he was on his own, in the back of his mind he knew that he had Sebastian, that the demon would be able to help him somehow if it came down to it. Apparently, that security was something he enjoyed more than he realized. There was nothing to do about it now, though. Sebastian was hurt, they were in a strange place, and they had to find something to stop the bleeding. These were the facts that he needed to focus on for the time being, then they could work out a plan from there. It was unsettling, but Ciel had never backed down from a challenge and he wasn't about to start now.

The uncertain look on his face was replaced with a more familiar one; brows furrowed in concentration and mouth drawn into a line, focused and sure. The look did not reflect what he was feeling on the inside, but looking the part was a start, right? It wouldn't be the first time he faked it. Fear and panic were emotions that had no place in a situation like this, so he would do his best to push any feelings even resembling them away. "You'll be fine," he muttered, more to reassure himself of this fact than Sebastian. Leaving him would have been the smarter option, Ciel was able to recognize this even in his nervous state, but he was reluctant to let Sebastian go, to leave him there. When he was reached for, he moved forward without hesitation, letting the other use his shoulders as more support as they made their way down the row of tables and to the exit. One arm slid around Sebastian's slim waist, a move that did little to actually help him along. It simply felt more secure, even if the grip was a little slippery.

It was a slow process, but it still didn't take long for them to make it through most of the tables. "We're almost there," he muttered, a little winded just from helping Sebastian helping. As soon as he spoke the words, he almost wanted to roll his eyes. What was he doing? Attempting to comfort a demon? That was laughable. Once they made it to the last table, he stopped. "Can you lean on me?" All ninety-five pounds of him, none of which was muscle, would provide little support, but what other options did they have? If it didn't work, he would simply have to leave Sebastian behind, but he was at least going to try before doing that.

[thatdemon]

"I can," was his terse response, "but I doubt that the young master is capable of supporting me." Which meant that he would have to walk on his own for the most part, now. Lovely. All right. The few steps were from the last table to the door frame between the long room they'd found themselves in and the hallway. He managed it, but leaned heavily against the door when he reached it, his shoulder pressing against it. Ciel was right, at least, about one thing: any attempt to comfort him was absurd. The most 'reassuring' thing--if it could be called that--was the arm around his waist, and even then Sebastian found it more intriguing than anything else. He was used to touching his young master, of course, for various reasons. It was commonplace. It was so rare, however, for his young master to touch him. He felt the light pressure of that small had on his waist acutely, knew that when they separated that Ciel's arm--the entire side he had pressed against Sebastian, really--would come away bloody. At least Sebastian knew, though, that his body temperature was high enough that Ciel was likely not cold anymore, being this close to him.

The demon looked out into the hallway, tilting his head both ways, though he could not see clearly. It, too, seemed empty and gray. There was no telling which way might lead them to something promising--if either. He would have to support himself heavily against the wall as they walked further. And this was precisely what he did, leaving a large smear of blood against the wall in his wake, with yet more still dripping to the floor. His thin paper shift was soaked in it now, practically entirely red and clinging to his bare body beneath. He stopped when they reached the next doorway down, his breath coming sharp and quick. He technically didn't need to breathe, but the rapid expansion of his lungs was instinctive at the moment.

"My lord," he whispered, "you may leave me for the moment," he said, leaning even more heavily against the wall. "You should check to see if there is anything nearby which can stay the bleeding." The doorway he'd paused beside was just one of many nearby, a small cluster of five or six rooms on either side of the hallway ahead of them, fairly close together. "I will--" he wheezed, "--remain here for the time being."

[thatmaster]

The small dig was mostly ignored on Ciel's part. In all honesty, he was happy to not have to attempt to help Sebastian along any farther. He was heavy, and the blood now covering his hands and a good part of his side, soaking through his own thin pajamas was disgusting, a thought which was reflected on his face as he looked down at himself. "I'll be back."

Ciel was much more aware of his surroundings now as he made his way down the hall and through the first door in a small row, expecting to run into someone at any moment. Surely, someone had to have brought them there. The first roomed proved to be as empty as the hallways they'd just made their way through, as did the second, and then the third. Though, on the third, he was finally able to find something useful, and the same went for the fourth. The last two rooms held nothing, but he took his time looking them over just in case.

When he finally came back to Sebastian, he was still empty handed. Doing things in the hall would be too much of a pain. Plus, a closed off room just felt safer than a hall that led to who knows what. "Come on, follow me." This time, there was no attempt to help Sebastian along. Instead, Ciel walked a few steps ahead of him as he led him to the third door on the left. "There are couches in here." The room seemed to be a lounge of sorts. Couches, tables, a couple of lockers against the wall. Once he had Sebastian settled, he could go and get the bandages to take care of the wound. Hopefully.

[thatdemon]

It was good that Sebastian hadn't given in to the urge to simply collapse against the wall while Ciel was gone. He doubted he would have been able to stand back up if he had. When Ciel returned empty-handed, the demon was prepared to continue on--but no, apparently he had found something.

Sebastian followed him into that third room down, albeit at a much slower pace, shuffling along the wall. He collapsed gratefully onto the first available sofa. Though he didn't dare to lay down quite yet, even sitting was a great improvement to standing. What a strange room this was. With tables and couches and chairs, might have been a sitting room--if it weren't for the ugly metal lining the walls in places. And besides, the furnishings were...rudimentary, at best. Still, Sebastian was in no place to judge them, as he was already ruining them.

"I do hope you have found something to wrap me in, young master." He spoke more slowly than he normally would, enunciating every syllable carefully to make sure he said it correctly. "The need to stop the bleeding is becoming rather...dire." As if that wasn't obvious to the boy half-covered in the demon's blood. One hand rested on top of the paper gown over the wound on his front side, as if that might somehow help to close it. Normally his wounds would have begun to heal by now, but he knew death scythe wounds to be an exception. The time he had fought with that vile red reaper after the death of his young master's aunt, the injuries he'd sustained then had taken much longer to heal than was typical for him. He expected this to be even worse, given its severity.

[thatmaster]

"I found something." The words were said as Ciel walked back over the trail of bloody foot prints and to the exit of the room he'd found. When he came back, there was a small pile of bandages cradled in his arms. He used his hip to push the door open and walk into the room, heading straight to a dull looking chair off to the side of the couch. This is where he dumped the bandages. "This will have to do." It would take a lot with the flimsy gauze and ace bandaged he'd managed to find, but what other option did they have? He wasn't exactly a surgeon.

His next stop was Sebastian. The demon looked even paler than he normally did, which was very strange considering just how white his porcelain skin was. The dark red blood covering his body made him look even more inhuman to Ciel. It was funny, really...How something so human looking could look so...Inhuman. After all, what was more human than dying? Be it silently or in a bloody fashion like this. Ciel wondered if Sebastian could actually die...In all of their time together, he'd never taken the time to question the demon about himself. Maybe he would never get a chance now. These thoughts were pushed from his mind as he brought his focus back to his momentary goal of getting Sebastian bandaged up. With careful hands, he reached forward to tug at the weak material that was clinging wetly to Sebastian's body, slowly beginning to tug it off. This act alone was enough to cause the blood weakened material to tear, something that made things easier for Ciel. The act of peeling it off of the other's skin wasn't too time consuming and Ciel went for the bandages once he was finished, bypassing the small pile of bloody material he'd formed on the floor.

It would have been best to wash Sebastian first, and maybe he could soon, but his main concern was getting him bandaged up first. He stopped in front of the butler a second time, now with gauze and bandages in either hand. Where to start...Caring for others really was not his strong suit. "Lean forward." He waited for Sebastian to obey, slow as it was, and then began the job of tending to his large wound. It was strange to see a human body so injured still moving.

[thatdemon]

The hole in Sebastian's chest was just that: a hole, all the way through his body, open on both sides. Any human would have did from such an injury instantly. Thankfully, Sebastian was rather better at sustaining himself. He leaned forward as instructed, relieved that Ciel had managed to find bandages at all. His fingers brushed against the floor, picking up the paper gown once again. Even if it was torn--utterly ruined--for the sake of decency, he placed the wet material over his lap. It wasn't that Sebastian himself particularly cared, but as a butler, it was hardly professional to let his master see him in such a state of undress. Not that any of this was 'professional' to begin with, but still, he had his aesthetics to uphold as best he could.

"Be sure to wrap them tight, my lord." He instructed, in the calm, pleasant sort of tone he might use if he were tutoring the boy, rather than giving him a crash course in nursing a demon. He could be cleaned off later--a wet cloth would do to wipe the blood away. For now, though, wrapping the wound was by far more important. "Think as though you want to crush my chest." This was said with a wry little smile. "I think that might even be a pleasant thought for you--" a cough, more blood on the floor, but at least not on ciel, "--y-young...master." If Ciel did his absolute best--or worst, depending on how you thought about it--then it might be enough to stifle the wound, at least until the bandages needed to be changed, as they inevitably would. But this depended on Ciel, really. Sebastian never tolerated sloppy work from the boy in his lessons, and this would be no exception.

[thatmaster]

The very last thing on Ciel's mind at that moment in time was Sebastian's current state of undress. Even when some attention was called to it as the butler drew up the bloody material to cover himself, Ciel hardly seemed to notice. "I know that," he snapped back to the instruction, though he was honestly kind of glad for it. There was something comforting about it, really. It wasn't the first and probably would not be the last time instructions were given to him by Sebastian...at least he hoped it wouldn't be the last.

Some of the gauze was folded up (okay, more like wadded up) and packed against the wound before the tedious task of wrapping began. "Keep your mouth close, you're making a mess." The first few wraps around weren't especially tight, mainly meant as a foundation for more. As he kept wrapping around the demon, it got tighter, harder. Each time he made it around his back, Ciel made sure to pull forward hard. Still, there was only so much he could do with the gauze. After two layers of the thin, white material, he moved onto the cloth bandage he'd retrieved from the same room. None of it was especially familiar to him, but the basic concept of bandaging someone up was not hard to get. With the cloth from the ace bandage, making things tight became slightly easier. The first few go arounds were, just as with the gauze, a little light, but once he had a start, making them tighter became much easier.

The work was much harder than it probably should have been. Hard enough to keep his body temperature up, his cheeks even becoming a little pink with the effort he was putting into making the bandages tight. It certainly was one way to rid himself of the chill he had upon waking.

[thatdemon]

Sebastian remained still as he could as his wound was bound, keeping his mouth closed firmly as well, as instructed. Ciel was doing an admirable job; better than he'd anticipated, at least. Not that he'd truthfully been expecting much, given what he knew of Ciel's capability with practical work. Still, it felt tight enough, just constricting enough to be slightly uncomfortable, which was ideal. When the cloth bandage reached its end, Sebastian pinned it in place himself, not quite trusting his master's hands for such a delicate task. The boy had trouble with buttons, after all. He didn't want the young earl anywhere near him with a pin. He gave the child his most congenial smile, slightly marred by the blood on his lips, and drying in trails down his chin and neck. "Very good, my lord." He praised. Ciel was also to be commended for managing to keep a level head in this situation. But then again, he supposed that his master was rather used to kidnapping attempts--although this was the first time Sebastian had been taken alongside him. And what a strange place to be taken to! A hospital? What could possibly be the motive? And how had they gotten there in the first place, being that they had been at sea on a sinking ship?

Having every confidence that these questions would be answered eventually, Sebastian moved onto the next order of business. "Now, I think more proper clothing for both of us may be in order." He suggested. There should be something to wear in a hospital--a seemingly deserted hospital, at that--besides the poor excuse for paper coverings they'd awoken in. "I would try these metal cabinets, my lord." Or at least, that was what he assumed they were. That was what they looked like, given that they were raised from the wall and had a handle to open them. "Young master, are you cold still?" It was a question of necessity. Even incapacitated as he was, he was still a butler, and such things were expected of him. Well, expected of him by this particular master, at least, who would not see his injuries as an excuse for negligence for much longer, he wouldn't think.

[thatmaster]

The wrap job was far from perfect; bandages were rumpled in some places, the layers uneven, but it got the job done. He stepped back and let Sebastian finish the job off with a pin to keep everything in place. Having the butler tell--or suggest what to do was annoying to Ciel, even with Sebastian in the state he was currently in. The fact that it was a good suggestion only made it more annoying.

Instead of sitting down like he originally intended to, he headed over to the metal cabients Sebastian was talking about. Hideous things. "I'm fine," he muttered as he tried the first locker. There was a loud clanging sound as he tried to tug it open with no luck. Locked. The next one he tried opened with no issue. Nothing. It was in the third one that he found something resembling clothing. Nothing that would fit him well, but anything would be better than the blood covered clothing he was wearing now, no matter how it fit. The material was slightly thicker than what he had on and much thicker than what Sebastian had been in. He brought the rather ugly, green colored clothing over to the chair where he'd set the bandages, dropping them down on top of the remaining rolls of cloth and gauze. "We should try to clean you off first. You're disgusting." Ciel supposed it wasn't entirely necessary...Bacteria probably wasn't an issue for a demon, but he'd prefer not to have to stare at the blood covered butler if it could be avoided. Plus, he needed a good washing himself. After helping Sebastian along, he wasn't too much better off.

[thatdemon]

"If you can find a source of water, my lord...I would...appreciate being cleaned." Sebastian had to admit that he was surprised that Ciel offered. He must have been quite annoyed by the state he was in to even suggest it, given that it would mean more work for himself--more work taking care of Sebastian. He wouldn't refuse. Still, his head was spinning. He couldn't remain sitting up any longer. Slowly, gingerly, he lowered himself down on the sofa, laying on his back. Things seemed more stable that way. "And what about the young master?" He inquired, watching the boy with as much attentiveness as he could manage with his vision as impaired as it was. "Would he not also like to clean himself off? To find clothing? I must say, I am most shocked by your willingness to help me, my lord." He was still taking his time to talk, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to manage all those words so clearly. And 'shocked' was indeed the right word. The young nobleman had hardly even complained about it. It spoke of a maturity that was rare even for Ciel. Or perhaps his young master was simply more capable in a crisis situation than Sebastian had previously given him credit for.

...a crisis situation. That was what this was, wasn't it? In Sebastian's hazy mind, the thought wasn't nearly as dire as it rightly should have been. They were in real danger when even Sebastian had no idea what was happening. But still, Ciel seemed to be taking that surprisingly well. His rational little master, his level-headed little master, his resourceful little master. So impressive. So worthy. And wounded as he was, Sebastian found that he felt the hunger--that usual hunger, the feeling of borderline starvation that he was almost used to living with--all the more strongly. Perhaps if just gobbled the delicious morsel right up he would heal more quickly. Slowly he licked his lips, tasting his own blood there. No, no--the contract still remained. No early snacking. He'd had patience this long. He could continue.

[thatmaster]

If anything, Ciel's willingness to help and lack of complaining came from being in a bit of shock. The boy like to plan ahead, and he had for various situations. If this happened, he would do that. If that happened, he would do this. Sebastian being incapacitated, while it was something he had dreamed about to amuse himself from time to time while he was supposed to be going over business proposals, was something--possibly the only thing--he had never planned for. His absolute, foolish faith in the demon kept him from thinking a thing like this were possible. And who could blame him after some of the feats Sebastian pulled off? Still, it had been foolish of him not to plan ahead for such a thing. Not that planning would have done much in this situation, considering he hardly had any idea where they were. Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that he was maturing, at least in some ways. This side of himself was not one that got to shine often, as he normally had Sebastian to take care of him. Why exert effort when he knew things would be okay? That he didn't need to worry? With Sebastian like this, things definitely felt different.

"I clean my pistols, don't I?" This statement was not necessarily true, it was more like an admiring polishing of already polished metal, but the idea was the same. Sebastian was his weapon, and he was very dirty. "Of course I'll clean myself. I'm not going to sit around in your blood all night." At least he assumed it was nearing night. Really, he had no way of knowing. Maybe the fact that it was so cold had something to do with his assumption. "It's disgusting." He looked down at himself as he said the words, and then over at Sebastian again. "I'll be back."

There was a small twist of nerves in his stomach as he started off, going back out the same way he had just moments ago. The normally reckless boy was careful now as he trudged down the hall to continue exploring, this time looking for means to clean the both of them. There was a sort of fear he'd never experienced before as he explored. Despite the way he acted, he was far from ready to die. Until Sebastian was back to his old self, he would need to be extremely careful. Someone brought them there, and he doubted the intentions were good.

[thatdemon]

Sebastian chuckled a little to himself as Ciel left the room in search of cleaning supplies. A tool, was he? A weapon, a pawn? Good. Very good. Just as he should be. But as much as his young master liked to think he knew how to use him, he hadn't quite figured it out yet. Sebastian was perfectly content to keep him in the dark. He might not have been in the best condition, but with an order from his master, he would have gone to find the tools Ciel was currently seeking. But it hadn't even occurred to the boy to try. His orders kept Sebastian going. The demon wondered, with some amusement, whether it was even possible for him to die if his contractor ordered him to live.

Closing his eyes as he lay back against the sofa cushions, he pressed a hand to the bandages wrapped tight around his ribs. The wound beneath throbbed. His smile grew. It was strange to be in this much pain. Strange and new. 'New' was exciting. But nonetheless, it wasn't very pleasant. And he had to return to full capacity as soon as possible in order to be of use to his master again. If he could not uphold his end of the contract, what good was he? If that meant that he needed to rest and recuperate for the time being, he would do just that. And what better time to do so than when Ciel was not present?

Normally demons slept only as a luxury. It wasn't something he often hide time for while in the service of Ciel Phantomhive. In fact, this would be the first sleep he'd had in at least a month. He allowed himself to fall into it, his breathing steadying, becoming slower and more even. He would be alerted and woken at once should the boy call for him, or should something happen to him. For now, gaining back his lost strength was top priority.