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Sebastian made his way out of the dining hall, calmly shutting the doors behind him. He came to a stop in the middle of the hallway for a moment and ran his hands through his hair, breathing out a deep, heavy sigh. It had been quite some time since he'd felt this exhausted.
For the past week he'd been forced to run multiple meetings with new and old business partners of his Master's, he'd had to accompany his Master to a four hour meeting with the queen just a couple of days prior, and now he was being made to serve and help cook for a dinner party that his Master had been persuaded into hosting for a handful of nobles from London. To say Sebastian was stressed, would be an understatement.
He managed to keep his usual stoic, professional facade from slipping in front of others and household members alike, but his stress and irritation only continued to increase by each passing day. It didn't help that Ciel had been feeling just as stressed and irritable. The young Earl snapped at anybody (mainly Sebastian) who he deemed worthy of his ire; as he did mere moments ago when Sebastian forgot to bring out the bottle of Claret he'd been instructed to serve this evening. Hence, the reason the demon was sent out of the room–to go retrieve the demanded bottle of wine.
To make matters worse, there hadn't been any time for Sebastian to age down. On top of this week being busy and tedious, the previous week had been occupied by a case involving the poisonings and deaths of several noblewomen in London: top priority, no leisure time allowed. He was accustomed to aging down at least two or three times out of the week, so not being allowed that time, only helped to further increase his stress levels. Which, of course, caused his headspace to poke and prod at him near constant. It was infuriating.
When Sebastian reached the kitchen he made a beeline for the icebox, where he'd put a second bottle to chill in case the first didn't last long. He blatantly ignored the pointed, worried looks thrown his way by Bard and Agni from their respective stations. They had been sending him those same looks for the past couple of hours, and it wasn't doing him any favors in regards to keeping both his agitation and headspace at bay.
Sebastian opened the door and reached inside, grabbing the dark bottle lying face down. However, when he lifted the bottle upright and saw the label, his eyes widened and he froze in place. Instead of there being a white label with black cursive writing declaring the word "Claret" on the front, there was instead white cursive writing of the word "Madeira."
He'd put in the wrong wine bottle. He'd put in the wrong bloody wine bottle.
Sebastian bit his lip hard against the frustrated whine that wanted to crawl up his throat, right eye briefly twitching. He stood holding the bottle in front of the still open icebox for a few prolonged seconds, mind having momentarily gone blank. When he came back to himself, it was with a newfound decision in mind.
The black-haired man laid the bottle back inside the icebox and shut the door, then walked over to one of the walls and leaned up against it. He reached into the right and left sides of his trousers, pulling out a dummy from one, and a white and blue baby blanket from the other. He promptly stuck the soother in his mouth, a content sigh escaping him as he began to suckle, maroon eyes fluttering close as he felt all the stress and tension in his body begin to melt away. He relaxed further against the wall, bringing his blanket up to his chest and rubbing a piece of it between his fingers.
Sebastian didn't know how long he'd spent relaxing against that wall, but the next thing he knew, he heard his name being called.
He opened his eyes and looked up–still sucking on his dummy and fidgeting with his blanket–being met by the firm gaze of the Phantomhive chef, who'd since ceased chopping up the pound of meat he'd been working on beforehand. Agni merely continued on with his task of rolling the dough for one of the pastries he'd been tasked with, keeping his head down and giving his friends as much privacy as he was able to.
"Sebastian," the blond-haired man sternly addressed him. "Take that out and put away your blanket, please. You can have them back in private later, but right now it's time for us to finish our work, alright?"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed, a pout forming behind the white and light blue soother. "No. I don' wan' to."
Bard blinked in surprise at the other man's response, before hardening his expression, once more. "Excuse me?"
"Said I. Don'. Wan'. To."
Bard breathed a sigh, setting the knife down on the counter before making his way over to Sebastian. "You know the rules, young man. When we're working your binky and blanket are off limits." He put his hands on his hips, coming to a stop in front of the black-haired man. "So I'm going to ask you one more time, please put away your blanket and binky."
After days and days of holding himself together, Sebastian felt the seal on his emotions completely shatter.
Sebastian's face twisted up in rage. "No!" He roared, dummy falling from his lips.
The demon's rage quickly diminished, however, and morphed into upset tears. His face crumbled and he let go of his blanket, falling to his knees and throwing himself on his stomach. He curled his hands into fists and pounded them against the wood floor, legs kicking rapidly behind him.
"I baby! Babies don' work!" He screamed through his sobs. "N-need my b'ankie an' b-binky! Need 'eeeeem!"
It broke Bard's heart to see the man that he loved and cared for like his own in anguish, but he also couldn't help the frustration that flooded his veins, either. He understood that Sebastian had been under a great deal of pressure recently, especially without spending any time in his little headspace, but Sebastian still knew better than to throw a temper tantrum out in the open. But then again, maybe he was being too harsh in his thinking. Sebastian never went this long without aging down, and when Bard really thought about it, this tantrum had been a long time coming. All the chef could do now was allow him to scream and cry his frustrations out. So, he folded his arms across his chest, and patiently waited.
About five minutes passed before Sebastian's tantrum begun to die down. He didn't move from his faced down position right away, instead opting to lie on the floor for a few minutes longer, relatively still and silent as he calmed down. He sniffled pitifully against the cold floor, post-cry hiccups occasionally rocking his body. Once he finally felt calm, Sebastian lifted himself and curled up against the wall, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees, lips pouty as he glared at the floorboards.
"Are you ready to get up now?" Bard asked.
"No," Sebastian mumbled into the fabric of his trousers.
Bard briefly shut his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for ten seconds as he silently counted down in his head. Once he was certain his temper wouldn't get the better of him, Bard spoke again. "Seb, buddy, can you please look at me?"
Sebastian shook his head, refusing to meet the blond-haired man's gaze. "No."
Bard's gaze hardened. "Sebastian Michaelis, don't make me count to three."
Sebastian just huffed in response, turning his face to the side, away from Bard.
"Alright then. One."
No response.
"Two."
Still no response.
"Two and a half. Don't make me say three, mister."
Sebastian's shoulders sagged, and he reluctantly raised his head to look up at Bard–pouty expression still firmly in place.
"Thank you." Bard exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. "Now, I know how much pressure you've been under these past few days–I understand, I really do, sweetheart–but that still doesn't give you the right to throw a tantrum like that. I know you know better than that. Especially while we're working."
Sebastian's pout melted into a frown, shoulders sagging even further. Despite his caretaker's best efforts to conceal his own frustrations, Sebastian could see right through him. Well, it appeared he would have to resort to that, then.
Without a word, and without breaking eye contact with the man, Sebastian allowed his bladder to give way. Daddy would never dare get angry with him for having an accident.
Bard's eyes widened as he watched a yellowish puddle begin to spread out from underneath Sebastian's sitting form, the liquid rapidly spreading around him. However, it didn't take the man long to realize that this "accident" had been deliberately done.
Well, if that's how he wanted to play, then so be it. His little devil wasn't the only one who had a set of tricks up his sleeve.
Bard took another deep breath, letting all of his frustrations flow out of him in one long exhale, his expression softening and turning apologetic.
"Aw, honeybunch. Daddy should have made sure you had a diaper on, I'm sorry. I know you're too little to hold it, I should've known better."
Bard leaned down, lifting Sebastian into his arms with a soft grunt. He cupped the back of Sebastian's head with his left hand, while his right arm went under his wet bottom. The regressed demon immediately wrapped his arms around the man's neck, burying his face into his shoulder as a tiny smirk of victory curled the corner of his lips.
Bard turned around, directing his gaze to the man currently placing a tray into the oven on the other side of the kitchen. "Hey, Agni, I'm really sorry to leave you on your own, but I need to tend to the baby right now."
Agni shut the oven door and turned to Bard. "It's quite alright, chef. No need for apologies," he reassured with a smile. "I will ask Mr. Tanaka to help in here, you just focus your attention on your little one."
"When you speak with Tanaka, could you also ask him to bring up a warm bottle of milk in a couple hours?"
Agni nodded. "Of course, I will do just that."
Bard sent the long-haired man a grateful smile. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."
With that, Bard turned and carried his blackened bundle out of the kitchen.
The first thing Bard did when he reached Sebastian's bedroom-turned nursery was take him to the adjoined bathroom. After he gave Sebastian a thorough washing, he gave the boy a couple of bath toys and left him to play while he made a quick trip to his own room for a change of clothes. Once he returned he got Sebastian out of the tub–with only minimal protesting–then took him back into the nursery, where he laid him on top of the beige changing table and got him dried and into a diaper. After that was done, he meticulously picked out his little devil's outfit for the evening.
He chose a light blue onesie with dark blue stripes, a woolen and silk blue bonnet, a set of snow white mittens, and a pair of light blue booties covered in white teddy bears. The man also grabbed a clean pacifier from the small woven basket sitting atop the dresser, before taking everything back to the changing table.
When Sebastian caught sight of the mittens lying on top of the pile in his daddy's arms, a loud whine escaped him, face screwing up in distaste. He hated those mittens. They didn't allow him to play properly, they give him the option of sucking his fingers, and they were impossible to take off when daddy tied that stupid little lace around his wrists: they were downright awful.
"I no wan' yucky mittens, daddy," Sebastian whinged.
"Ah-ah, I'll have none of that now," Bard gently chastised, setting the items in his arms down at the foot of the beige surface. "Daddy can't have you putting germy fingers in your mouth, or grabbing things that could be dangerous. I can't have my little cutie pie getting sick or hurt on my watch, now can I? Nope."
Sebastian's pouty expression made a return. "Bu', daddy–"
Bard plucked the grey and white pacifier covered in yellow star constellations up, and popped it in Sebastian's mouth, bringing his whinging to a stop.
"That's enough, sweetheart. You're just a baby. And babies are much too small to talk." Bard gave the stunned, wide-eyed boy a soft smile. "Now, let's get you dressed, bubba. Then you can play as much as you want until sleepy time."
Sebastian huffed and kicked one of his legs, but didn't otherwise attempt to fight against his caretaker and merely lied pliant, focusing on the soothing motion of his binky.
Bard started with the onesie first, carefully sliding each of his baby's limbs through their proper slots, and buttoning up the bottom over the thick diaper. Next, he moved on to the booties, easily getting the babe's feet inside of them. He then covered the boy's head with the blue bonnet, tying the silk strands on either side of the bonnet into a bow underneath his chin. Lastly, the man slipped on the white mittens his boy oh-so dreaded, creating smaller yet identical bows with the connected lace around his wrists.
Sebastian peered down at his hands with a dejected look on his face, admitting a low whine.
"Awww, well don't you look like the most precious, adorable baby boy in the whole wide world," Bard cooed.
Those words seemed to have an almost immediate effect on Sebastian. His expression lost that sad, pinched look, and the glassy sheen that always came with his headspace became more prominent.
Bard's smile turned into a beaming grin at the response. "Is my sweet little jellybean starting to feel like my tiny baby?" He reached down and tickled the crook of Sebastian's neck, eliciting a stream of high-pitched giggles from the babe.
Bard laughed right along with him, cheeks starting to ache from how much he was grinning. "There's my happy baby boy."
The man lifted the now smiley baby from the changing table, peppering his face in kisses, and receiving more of those sweet giggles from him in return.
"You ready to go play now, bun-bun? Yeah? You wanna play? Alright then, let's go play, jellybean."
Bard carried Sebastian over to the handcrafted playpen in the corner of the room, and gently sat him inside. An array of toys surrounded him, ranging from rattles and blocks to stuffed animals and wood carved animals. Bard knelt down in front of him and picked up one of the rattles; the head of a brown bear crocheted onto the wooden ring.
"You want this one, snuggle bug?" He asked, holding out the rattle to the black-haired baby.
Sebastian looked at it for a moment in seemed to be contemplation, before reaching forward and wrapping his mitten bound hands around it. He slowly pulled it out of the man's hands, careful not to lose what little grip he had on it. His maroon eyes brightened when he finally managed to grip it on his own.
"There you go, bunny. Can you give it a shake?"
Bard was well aware of how the mittens made it difficult for Sebastian to use his hands as he normally would, but in these moments, that was what helped to cement the fact that he was just a baby who needed to be kept safe and given extra help.
Sebastian tightened his grip on the rattle, then gave it a tiny experimental shake. When it didn't fall out of his hands, his confidence grew and he proceeded to shake the toy with vigor.
"Good job, honeybun! You did it!" Bard praised enthusiastically.
A smile lit up Sebastian's face, peaking out from behind his pacifier. He giggled some more, continuing to shake the rattle.
Bard chuckled fondly, fully lowering himself on the carpeted floor, moving into a comfortable position so he could watch his babe play.
An hour and a half passed in happy, relative silence. Once Sebastian had grown bored of the rattle, he alternated between playing with a stuffed elephant and his wooden animals. Bard would occasionally engage with him, but otherwise was content to watch his boy have some much needed fun.
Eventually, when both his stuffed and wooden animals lost his interest, Sebastian got on his hands and knees and began to crawl towards a set of blocks on the other end of the playpen. Although, on his way there, it appeared that the baby had also taken the opportunity to use his diaper, as well. The bottom of his onesie suddenly expanded, making his backside look even puffier than it previously had been.
However, instead of rushing to change him right then and there, Bard held off for a brief moment. He just watched Sebastian's face, paying close attention to his expressions. A pleased, almost peaceful-like, expression overcame Sebastian's face once he sat down. Bard didn't need to be a genius to know the true reason behind that expression: it was the most babyish Sebastian has gotten to be for the first time in weeks. As strange as it may have sounded to anyone else, that knowledge made Bard happy to know.
With a proud grin plastered across his face, Bard rose from the floor and began lightly clapping his hands together, cheering as he walked to the other side of the playpen where Sebastian now resided.
"You did such a great job using your diaper, bun-bun!" He scooped Sebastian into his arms, pressing a comically loud, wet kiss to the boy's left cheek. "Such a good baby. Daddy's very proud of you, precious."
Sebastian simply giggled and cooed from around his soother, nuzzling his cheek against the side of Bard's stubbled face.
"Alright, let's get you all nice and clean, honeybun."
It wasn't long after Bard had finished pinning a new diaper to Sebastian, that there was a knock at the door. Once the last of the buttons on the baby's onesie had been done up, and Bard sat him back into the safety of his playpen, he went and answered the door.
When the door opened he was greeted by the sight of Tanaka's kind, smiling face. In one of the older man's hands was the bottle of milk Bard had earlier requested. But that wasn't all. Lying neatly across the other man's arm was Sebastian's baby blanket. In the height of everything that happened earlier, he'd completely forgotten about it. He couldn't help feeling grateful that Sebastian had never taken notice of the blue and white garment's absence in the time they've been in the nursery. That tantrum would have exceeded the previous one, there was no doubt in his mind.
"Hello, Bardroy. Here's the milk, as requested. Readily warm, might I add," Tanaka said, handing the glass bottle to Bard. "Ah, and I also took the liberty of retrieving the little one's blanket from where he left it in the kitchen. And don't worry, I made certain it wasn't stained, and that any lint or dirt was brushed away," he added.
Bard took and laid the blanket over his own arm, smiling at the older man in gratitude. "Thank you very much, Tanaka. I seriously appreciate all of it."
"Of course, you're quite welcome. I shall leave you and the little one to rest now. A pleasant evening to the both of you."
"You, too." Bard returned the sentiment, before closing the door behind Tanaka's retreating back.
It was still relatively early in the night–just a little after eight-thirty–but after today's events, an early bedtime was just what his boy and him needed.
"Milky time, jellybean," Bard sung, as he made his way back over to the playpen.
Sebastian looked up from the wooden horse and goat he had in each of his hands, eyes widening and gleaming with joy when they landed on the familiar garment hanging from Bard's arm. He immediately let go of his toys and reached up, making grabbing hands for it.
Bard chuckled under his breath, happily returning the blanket to the boy, before plucking him out of the playpen and back into his arms. Sebastian let out a short squeal of delight when the blanket was back in his arms, and brought it up to his face to rub it against his cheek.
Bard took the boy over to the cushy, sky blue armchair that stood near the crib. The man took a seat, sinking back into the heavenly soft exterior, pulling up his feet to lounge on the matching, square-shaped ottoman. He then shifted Sebastian around until he was comfortably seated in his lap; head lying against Bard's broad shoulder, blanket clutched tightly to his chest, with the man's right arm resting across his shoulders.
The blond-haired man gently removed the pacifier from the babe's mouth, setting it upright on the arm of the chair. Sebastian fussed at the removal, but Bard presented the bottle to him before things had a chance to escalate. "Here you go, precious," he softly cooed, bringing the nipple of the bottle to Sebastian's lips.
The baby instantly latched on and began to drink, quickly setting into a steady rhythm.
"That's it, snuggle bug. Daddy's good baby."
By the time the bottle had been drained halfway, Sebastian's eyelids begun to flutter and his drinking started to become sluggish. Before much longer, the babe's eyes fully shut and his breathing evened out, drinking coming to a full stop. With practiced ease, Bard replaced the bottle's nipple with the nipple of the babe's soother.
Bard pressed a feather light kiss to Sebastian's temple. "Sweet dreams, jellybean. Daddy loves you," he quietly whispered near the boy's ear. He set the mostly empty bottle down beside the chair (he would be sure to thoroughly clean it in the morning), then very carefully got up with the sleeping boy still in his arms.
The man glanced over at the crib, briefly debating with himself on whether or not to lie Sebastian inside for the night. In the end, Bard decided against it. Instead, he decided that his precious boy would be sleeping in his bed for the night.
Babies shouldn't be alone at night without their daddies, after all.