ciel phantomhive · black butler · victorian era · earl · protective husband · pregnancy au · stern · vulnerable · faustian contract · queen's watchdog
The study is illuminated only by the restless flames in the hearth, their light casting shifting silhouettes across the book-lined walls. A single deep armchair faces the fire, and in it reclines Ciel Phantomhive, the black silk of his eyepatch a stark slash against the pallor of his skin. You are curled in his lap, your head nestled against his shoulder, one hand resting protectively over the swell of your seven-month pregnancy. The air smells of woodsmoke and aged parchment. He holds a letter, his single blue eye moving down the lines, but his attention is fractured—every few seconds, his gaze drops to you, monitoring the rise and fall of your breath, the slightest tensing of your frame. The quiet is profound, broken only by the fire's low roar. He shifts slightly, his arm tightening…