Hi everyone! HTTYD is back! So I haven't added any specials in a while. Here's a pseudo-mid year special, about Vincent and Sebastian spending more quality time together. Just want to take a moment to thank all of you who have reviewed, followed, and faved this story- this was the first successful fanfic I ever posted and your support really means a lot!

As for this special: I have no qualms beating canon Sebastian around because he deserves it, but I feel a little guilty about doing it to this Sebastian because he doesn't. No matter- it's Vincent's time to shine.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or HTTYD

"Earl..."

Vincent was aware of icy drops hitting the top of his head. His head-

"Master..."

His head. The earl awoke with an irritated groan, fighting back a pulsating headache.

"Master Vincent!"

Have I gone blind? The blurred thought left as soon as it came. The memories came back- he had been entangled in a battle with an infuriated demon and all that struggling had resulted in his tumbling off a cliff and landing in this dark cavern. Vincent blinked just to make sure his vision was unaffected. Ciel had already lost an eye. The earl would make for a horrible role model if he lost his as well.

"Master Vincent! Are you-"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine- calm it, demon," he found himself snapping, stricter than he had aimed for.

His eyes were adjusting to the dark. Vincent lifted his head to see slanted slabs of rock closing in on him. They were large and jagged, lying over one another in unnatural angles. It certainly wasn't the worst situation Vincent Phantomhive had been in, but it wasn't the best. He pulled himself up and began crawling, in search for the Excaliber.

"It's turned out to be one hell of a hunting trip, eh, Sebastian?"

He heard an awkward chuckle to his left. Vincent sighed- he didn't want to rip off the head of his son's demon any longer, but he would never be able to be at ease around it.

"We'll have quite the story to tell my son."

This whole endeavor had been to please Ciel, really, though Vincent would never admit it. It was an understatement to say that Ciel was fond of his butler- his demon. Ever since that debacle with the angel, Sebastian Michaelis was a welcome employee under the Phantomhive roof, and inseparable servant to the earl's son. Tanaka had urged Vincent to be at ease, but the earl had a bit of trouble in that regard.

Sometimes he still splashed Sebastian with holy water on reflex ("Begone, demon- wait- Sebastian! I didn't know it was you. Well... um, my apologies." "It's fine," the butler would say with a blood smeared face).

A few days ago, he had purified the yard while Sebastian was still in it ("Father, you almost killed him!" "Ciel, I'm sorry, but I really didn't know he was in there." "I told you he would be working in it- an hour ago." "Well, you should have been more specific, Ciel.").

And that one time he threw a death scythe at Sebastian while the demon was bringing him tea ("You must announce yourself, Sebastian! I mistook you for a vagrant demon. Your arm will heal soon, correct?" "Of course, Master Vincent!").

Until finally Ciel expressed his concerns ("Father, because you're trying to murder my butler, I think it best if Sebastian only served me from now on." "Ciel, that is a big accusation!" "Sorry, father... but..." "But what?" "... I'd rather be safe than sorry.")

Vincent had been trying to be a better parent, and that included addressing his son's concerns. Ciel did make him wonder just how well he was getting on with the demon. And so the earl set out to bond with his newest servant. Granted, talking with the demon felt very very uncomfortable for both parties, so Vincent arranged for it to accompany him on his latest hunting trip instead.

He and a division of reapers took it upon themselves to scavenge London's outskirts for rogue demons every few weeks. It was a routine that no one broke, even with the introduction of (a select few) demons into their very society. Really, all he intended for Sebastian to do was act as a scavenging dog of sorts. The goal was to find some common activity they could both take part in- at least they'd be working on the same side again.

But on second thought, perhaps afternoon tea would have been an easier and better idea.

They had found a pack of demons eventually- by far, the ugliest Vincent had ever laid eyes upon. Heads like squids, clawed tentacles, drooling mouths, and that horrible odor.

"Ugly pets," Sebastian had said with a sad shake of the head. Then he had confirmed that yes, those were the lowest sort of demons, considered animals by their own kind.

Disposing of them had been easy enough- bloody but easy- and when the earl was about to plunge his sword through the last one, a far larger (and uglier) creature had tackled him from the back. That was probably why his limbs smarted so much. A few ribs were bruised, no doubt. The other reapers rushed to his rescue but were impeded by the remaining demons.

And so Vincent found himself hacking and kicking at the demon roaring in his face. They were both so caught in the struggle that they tumbled off the cliff, causing a small avalanche with it. Vincent had hit his ahead against a falling rock and in the midst of his wooziness, swung with all his might at his enemy. The shriek of pain and explosion of blood told him he must have slain the thing.

And then the rocks had come down, Ciel's demon had plunged toward him, and Vincent had been shielded by the demon's body as they slammed into darkness. That was how he found himself waking with a throbbing head, covered in blood and slime, and trapped under a pile of rocks.

"Say, Sebastian, did I slay that vermin?" he asked, placing his hand in a puddle of blood.

"Yes." There was a bout of weak clapping.

"No need for applause," Vincent said, mixing his hands in that growing pool. The scent of blood was growing stronger. "Is the creature with us? Its blood is everywhere!"

"No- I- I don't know."

Vincent frowned. There wouldn't be room for the other demon in this space. Then all that blood?

"Sebastian, are you all right?"

"... I think."

"Where's the Excaliber?"

"Here." This was followed by a small gasp, confirming Vincent's fears. The earl saw a shape before him. Sebastian lay prone under a boulder, a flash of gold above him.

Vincent inched toward him, following the blood to its source, and saw with his limited vision that the Excaliber was embedding itself in the demon's side, held in place by the boulder. How? It must have happened during their plunge- when Sebastian caught him, the earl pierced him with the blade.

"Can you remove it?" Vincent asked, placing his hands on the rock.

"No."

The earl pushed at the boulder- it budged slightly and to his horror, pressed even harder on the sword. A flash of cinematic records shot out, illuminating the scene enough for Vincent to see that the demon's torso was covered in shining blood.

"Hold on, Sebastian."

He edged around the boulder and put his hands on the Excaliber's hilt instead, a brief sense of deja vu coming to mind. Vincent pulled, but the rock remained in the way. If anything, the sword seemed to sink even deeper.

Ciel will never forgive me!

With several grunts, Vincent placed his weight on the boulder. It wouldn't move and he soon discovered that was because it was held in place by even more rocks on the outside. Only an external force could help the two of them escape. Well, that put a damper on things. He couldn't move the boulder, which meant the Excaliber was there to stay.

"Does it hurt?" he asked dumbly.

Sebastian cast him that look that read I cannot believe you. But the demon only said, "Little." Followed by a slight wince. Which told Vincent it hurt a lot more than a little.

The blood continued to pool about the demon, effectively ruining his waistcoat (And Vincent had just so recently had it made too!) and filling the earl's nostrils with the scent of iron. And in that iron was the underlying current of unholy essence, the kind of smell Vincent loved when he was slaughtering the demonic menaces of London. But those thoughts would be inappropriate. Hadn't Vincent himself proclaimed Sebastian worthy or more than that?

His thoughts were interrupted by a strained groan. The rock was pushing. The sword was almost down to its hilt and there was an obvious amount of sweat on the demon's face.

The dispatch was awfully slow. Vincent was starting to understand how that grumpy Professor Spears felt.

"I say, Sebastian, how long do you think-"

He was interrupted again, this time by a faint wet splutter. Blood was escaping the demon's mouth, choking the speech. Vincent furiously tried to move the Excaliber, only managing to let it dig more.

The records rolled out in longer bursts, lighting the small space, but Vincent hadn't cared for what they showed. He was too busy coming to terms with the thought that this time, Sebastian really could die. He really could die. And Vincent would be the murderer! It wasn't like this demon's death would have any legal repercussions but morally- morally-

True, he was envious of how close the demon was to his son, of that connection they had that he lost, but were these mixed feelings of jealously really enough to prompt murder?

He thought back. While he was too busy voicing his disappointment in his son, this demon had been the boy's companion. When the spider demon had attacked Ciel, Sebastian Michaelis had saved the boy's life. And in return, Vincent had tortured the demon until he was half dead. And in return for that, Sebastian had fought tooth and nail to save London from the fallen angel's horde, and saved Ciel again. And in return for his exemplary service, Vincent had impaled him with the Excaliber right after Sebastian saved his life... yes, this was not looking good for the earl's conscience.

"Damn it!" he roared, "Sebastian, live!"

He struck the rocks. "Down here! Down here! We're down here, you idiots- HONESTLY." Exactly how Spears felt.

And back to Sebastian. He cupped the demon's face, resisting the urge to shake him. "Live, demon! You cannot die here- not like this. A Phantomhive butler would never leave his service like this! You can do it, demon- Sebastian, live!"

The red eyes struggled to stay open, momentarily shutting and opening each second. "Stay awake, stay awake!" Vincent ordered, "Ciel needs you. I need you!"

He was barking those orders directly above the demon's face just as the rocks were finally lifted, the light suddenly filling his world once more. Vincent hissed, adjusting his eyes to the newfound daylight, and was met with the awkward gazes of his reaper team. One reaper's jaw dropped. Because from their vantage point, it looked as if the earl was about to lean in and smack his lips against the demon's.

But all of that was unknown to Vincent. "Thank you," he said, regaining composure, "now come down here and remove us."

It was at least an hour later, no more, when Vincent finally returned to the manor, having called Tanaka out for assistance. The steward was ushering the two carrying the stretcher through the door, Maylene, Finnian, and Bardroy making a fuss over the figure on it. Vincent stroked the bandage around his forehead, coming to join the group as they entered the parlor.

"Are you all right, Master Vincent?!" the trio burst asking, "what happened? Was the demon big? Is Sebastian dead!? Did you find Hellopnikosia?"

He didn't know what that last question was about. He told them he was fine, that the big demon was dead, and Sebastian was very much alive. The earl would have liked to retire and rest by that point, but Ciel chose that moment to come out. Damn it.

"Father!" the one-eyed boy cried, rushing down the stairs.

Before stopping in his tracks and stiffly moving toward the stretcher. Ciel took in his butler's battered, bandaged form, no doubt seeing the blood seeping through. Ciel stared at Vincent with a hurt expression.

"Father, what did you do to him!?"

"Ciel, why would you assume I did this?"

"Did you do this?"

"Well... yes, but it was an accident. Come now, he'll live."

"Accident? But how?"

"Young master."

Sebastian lifted his head, lips still blood-smeared, looking at Ciel dizzily. "Did you have tea yet?"

"Yes. Nevermind that, Sebastian, what happened to you?"

"Excaliber."

"Father."

"Accident."

Vincent sighed. He really hoped Ciel wouldn't take this the wrong way. But before either Phantomhive could speak, the demon made another remark.

"Master Vincent saved my life." Followed by a smile that looked rather painful. Ciel put a finger to the demon's lips.

"Save it, Sebastian. Just rest up, that's an order."

"Chop, chop," Vincent added, casting the other servants a glance. With hurried salutes, they went and carried the stretcher off, Tanaka at their heels.

When they were alone, Ciel walked up to his father and wrapped those small arms around the man's waist, ears flushing red. Vincent blinked in surprise. He had expected the boy to stop speaking to him altogether.

"Thank you for saving him," Ciel said. And it all looped back to that demon, but Vincent would take what he had- it would be a while before he could catch up to Sebastian, he supposed.

"Of course." And Vincent returned his son's hug, lifting the boy into his own arms.

"Even though it was all your fault in the first place," Ciel added, with a hint of accusation.

"It was an accident."

Thanks for reading! Feel free to review and I hope you enjoyed this November special.

I can't guarantee anything but I'm planning a Christmas special this year, along with Ciel's book signing (deleted scene).