NOY Chapter Two
So after pouring over this chapter, I'm still not entirely satisfied with it. But rather than spend more months trying to make it perfect, I just posted it and decided to move on. xD It's only real purpose is to set-up for the next chapter so...yeah.
Title: The Nightmare of You
Fandom: Kuroshitsuji
Pairing: SebastianxCiel
Rating: PG-13
Chapter One: http://neemochan.livejournal.com/912.html
Chapter Two:
Having awoken much more refreshed than earlier that morning, Ciel sat coolly on his large leather chair in the study, sipping his tea while Sebastian laced up his shoes.
“I must apologize” Sebastian said. “I did not have adequate time to prepare your breakfast this morning.”
The Earl replaced his cup on its saucer. “Couldn’t you have readied it while I was asleep?”
The demon sat back on his heels and slightly raised an eyebrow at his master. “Sir, I mean no disrespect, but it is difficult to prepare a meal while sitting at your bedside during the hours in which I normally prepare it.”
“…You didn’t have to stay the entire time.” Muttered the boy; a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
“I considered your request an order.”
“I meant until I fell asleep.”
Sebastian nodded. Truly, he did not mind watching over the boy as he slept. There was something about watching the boy’s features relax and his guard drop…it was like a whole other side to his master only appearing in moonlight. “I shall assume such details next time.”
The youth huffed and outstretched his hand. The butler laid the morning paper into the expecting hand before standing. “I’ll prepare breakfast now, young master.”
“I shall take breakfast in here this morning, Sebastian.”
The butler bowed, hand folding across his chest. “Yes my lord.”
With a satisfied flick of the newsprint, the London Times opened and the Earl retreated to the articles within. But once the gracefully soft footsteps of his butler disappeared, he dropped the print in a wrinkled heap upon his desk and meandered down the corridor to the library, tea cup still in hand.
Ciel silently sipped his Earl Grey as he studied the shelves of titles before him. When nothing touched his lips, he squinted into the cup to discover it was empty. He let out a heavy sigh as if an empty tea cup was the most troublesome thing in the world. Of course, it was not. He was still reeling slightly from the latest terror; small flickers of his frightening vision rippled through him occasionally like aftershocks of an earthquake. If he could, he would’ve forgotten that morning’s happenings entirely, but such was one of the few things he did not have control over.
Those dreams had grown to a degree of being unable to ignore. They no longer stuck to their boundaries of only haunting him in the night; they were slowly seeping into his daylight thoughts like a plague. There was surely some sort of cure, or rather a solution. That was what brought the boy to the library that morning. He was in search of a solution. Ciel was positive there was at least one book amongst those shelves that held the key.
His finger grazed the bindings of fiction, history, philosophy…then stopped. Psychology; one blue, medium-sized volume made up the section. The Earl quickly placed his empty cup on a nearby table before hesitantly reaching for the book. He ultimately slid it from its place nestled between fiction and non-fiction. Flipping the faded blue cover open, Ciel thumbed through the yellowed pages until he happened upon his answer. Dreams: Illusions brought on by one’s subconscious during sleep; usually reflecting an inner desire… He snapped the book shut. That was an answer enough for him. Ciel sighed through clenched teeth. Who had been the center of all of these fantasies?
He plopped into the lounge chair behind him. It shouldn’t have come as any surprise to him; deep down, he knew there existed this problem that had seemed to cultivate the more he ignored it. He could feel his face redden now just thinking about it. Inwardly he stomped upon the thoughts, the invasive vines twisting themselves around his mind. Ciel Phantomhive had no feelings for that demon whatsoever. It was ludicrous, imprudent, unethical…not to mention illegal.
But, then again, dreams ought to be pleasant. These terrors were not - therefore, they did not classify as dreams and furthermore, did not reflect desires. Ciel kicked all concern over the matter to the furthest corner of his brain. He did not have feelings toward Sebastian; he knew so for a fact. Besides, if nightmares reflected desires as well, that would mean Ciel had some inner wish for Sebastian to die. He wasn’t that hateful towards his servant.
“You appear to have forgotten this, young master.” The morning paper landed in Ciel’s lap, startling him from his reverie. “I see you have decided to take breakfast in the library instead.” The butler glanced to the side table where the discarded book lay. “Psychology, hmm? ‘Tis quite a heavy topic… and yet, an amusing one. The human mind works in perplexing ways. For instance: Did you know, my lord,” Sebastian murmured into his master’s ear - far too close for Ciel’s comfort. “that dreams often times reflect one’s inner desires?”
The boy’s cheeks burned. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. It was as if he had been read like an open book. He could feel the smirk slide across Sebastian’s lips. He blinked and regained his composure. “Rubbish.” He scoffed as he kicked off his shoes and crossed his legs. “The notion that one’s desires are in their dreams…dreams are nothing but illusions randomly created by the mind during sleep. They are meaningless things, Sebastian. Surely you do not believe in such nonsense?”
The butler chortled under his breath. “Of course not, my lord.”
Ciel was playing his little game of denial once again. A game where he took something and sold it as twaddle and, in the process, attempted to convince himself that it was indeed twaddle. Sebastian had seen the boy engage in this game with himself often enough he could spot it in its beginning sparks with a blind fold over his eyes.
Rather than inquire about his master’s concern with dreams, the demon continued forward in trivial conversation. “Are there any note-worthy headlines this morning, young master?”
Ciel’s gaze fell to the paper in his lap. To be quite frank, he really had no interest in the news on this particular morning. Nevertheless, he unfolded the print and began to sort through the articles worth reading and ones that were not. “Well,” he drawled, “it appears there was a fire in the foreigner district of town….The Yard has most likely got their knickers in a knot over it.”
“Ah, that reminds me.” Sebastian quickly reached into his breast pocket. “This arrived with the morning post.” He handed to Ciel a delicate envelope with the royal seal upon it.
The Earl quickly read the Queen’s letter before sending Sebastian an icy glare. “You could have just given me the letter first rather than make me find the article on it, you know.” The two locked eyes for a second. “Feh, of course you knew.”
“My apologies, my lord.” Sebastian’s smirk, though, did not seem to reflect any regret.
Ciel sighed, tired of his butler’s antics. “I’ll examine the scene this afternoon, preferably after lunchtime. Be sure that the carriage is ready, Sebastian.”
“I shall go make the preparations, my lord.” With a shallow bow, Sebastian turned to take his leave.
“Sebastian.” Ciel called after him. The butler raised an eyebrow in question. The boy wiggled his toes expectantly. “My shoes; I want them on again.”
“Now,” Ciel murmured to himself. “What exactly happened here?” His single cerulean eye swept the charred scene as he stepped from the carriage.
“You!” Someone shouted. “You there! Phantomhive!”
Ciel sighed as Commissioner Randal briskly walked in his direction.
“I had a feeling I’d spot you snooping around as usual.” He scowled. “This is our scene. I’m not giving you permission to be here, so it would be best if-.” Randal paused as Ciel thrust the Queen’s note at his chest.
“You’re dealing with a higher authority, Commissioner.” The Earl sidestepped the man and onto the singed debris. “The Yard just doesn’t satisfy Her Majesty’s needs, I suppose…” He smirked triumphantly.
“Damn kid.” Randal muttered under his breath. “Aberline! Bring me that case file!”
The young officer hurried over to the Commissioner, juggling papers and miraculously pulling the case file from the pile without dropping them. “Here it is, sir.”
Ciel snatched it into his gloved hand. “Hmm…” He hummed as he skimmed the text. He then turned round to face the devastated building behind him. “It was an opium den, was it? Drug competition I’d suspect. One dealer wanted business all for himself and scorched the other’s establishment. It’s quite simple, really. I’m rather surprised you hadn’t figured that yourself, Commissioner.”
“Of course, that was the first-.”
“Regardless,” Ciel handed back the file. “We should take a look inside. It is just a theory after all and evidence is necessary to solidify the case, not to mention tie a suspect to the crime. Sebastian?” The boy turned to his butler who offered a steady arm for support as the two trudged through the rubble.
“Now wait just a minute!” Randal shouted after them.
“Higher authority, Commissioner.” Ciel reminded in a mocking tone.
Commissioner Randal growled. “At least watch yourself in there! That building is unstable from the fire damage!”
He didn’t like this. Not one bit. Ciel gazed around the interior of the structure, charred beams and ash everywhere he turned. He hated cases that involved fires. He loathed them. They never ceased to remind him of the terrors of his past.
“Sebastian.” The boy halted in a doorway. “Marching through this wreckage is exhausting. Continue forward in further investigation. Report back with anything you find out of the ordinary.”
Without objection, Sebastian carried on, uttering a “yes, my lord.” Left to himself Ciel looked about again, knocking around pieces of brick and lumber with the tip of his cane. Then, he paused, staring into the rubble. He found himself caught in a daze as he recalled kneeling down in practically the same scorched fragments, retrieving a glistening blue gem buried beneath. The youth shook his head, memory disappearing, as he became heavily aware of the Phantomhive family ring upon his thumb. He raised his hand before him, studying the jewel almost too large for his finger. The sapphire glinted at him, as if it were teasing him, reminding him of the meaning it held; the darker side of being a family heirloom.
Suddenly, there was crumbling. Clattering and clanking sounded over his head. The Earl stared upward, squinting into the soot covered loft. His eyes widened as falling debris came into focus. Scrambling as fast as he could, he jumped to the side, dodging the rubble as it crashed through what remained of the ceiling.
“Young master, are you alright?” Sebastian called from further within the building.
Ciel coughed and choked on the ash that was kicked up by the impact. “Peachy.” Slowly, the boy got to his feet and began brushing the dirt from his clothes. “Make haste, Sebastian! I do not wish to be here the entire day!” He growled.
“Of course, my lord.” On cue, the butler appeared from the depths of the building.
“Well?” Ciel inquired rather impatiently.
“The building was vacant when it was set ablaze. There were no signs of a struggle to escape from what I could gather. I also did not discover any form of human remains, so it is safe to say there were no casualties.” Sebastian stated serenely.
Ciel nodded, satisfied. “That certainly makes things less messy.” He started to gaze around rather aimlessly again.
Sebastian could tell this situation made his young master uncomfortable. He could practically see Ciel squirming in his spot although he wasn’t moving a muscle. “Young master, do you wish to depart? I am certain these conditions are less than desirable to you -.”
“There.” Ciel thrust a finger towards the opposite side of the room. “There, in the corner. What is that?”
Almost instantly, Sebastian was kneeling down to collect the item that had caught the boy’s attention. “It is a piece of fabric, my lord, an oriental style cloth. It is authentic as well. I must say, this pattern looks very familiar to me…”
“Take it with you. That’s our only physical piece of evidence. Perhaps it will point us to the culprit.” The Earl turned to the doorway. “We shall take our leave n…” He trailed off as rumbling started again from above. The structure creaked and shuddered. Thuds and knocking reverberated until a thunderous crash filled the air and the section of ceiling hanging over Ciel’s head began to cave in.
It all happened painfully slow in Sebastian’s eyes; the clatter, the crash, the young master turning his head upward in alarm before desperately stumbling backwards, but not far enough. The wreckage shattered through the garret, Ciel raised his arms above his head, “Sebas-!” But his feet were already moving. “Young master!” He threw himself at the boy, knocking him to the ground, just in time to take the brunt of the collapse.
He was dead. Positive, in fact. Ciel could find no other explanation. It was all over, and what a pathetic way to go. But it was of no matter. Any second now his thoughts would cease as he’d be swallowed by the excruciating pain involved in the devouring of his soul. But there was no fear in his mind. Rather, there was eagerness. For he knew the sooner his soul was collected, the sooner he’d see Sebastian, or at the very least feel the demon’s touch. A touch that he so secretly yearned, he wasn’t even consciously aware of it. If that were to be his final experience in his entire existence, a caress from Sebastian, whether it be gentle or rough or violent…it would certainly be better than the current crushing sensation on his chest.
Sound began reaching his ears, but only in muffled pieces. Ciel breathed a content sigh, a final breath, as he rendered heaving his chest against the forceful weight useless, surrendering to death.
“Young master!” He heard a faint voice. Sebastian. Oh, how that voice soothed him. He could feel his lips form the name but didn’t realize the name left his lips in a quiet whisper.
“Young master, can you hear me?”
Ciel’s features scrunched together. Why did Sebastian sound so distressed? Where had that usual sultry tone disappeared to?
“My lord, you need to answer me.”
“…I…don’t need to answer anyone.” The boy finally murmured; a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “…Sebastian?”
“What is it, young master?” Came the butler’s reply.
“…I can’t…breathe.”
“I apologize for placing you in such discomfort, my lord.”
“…what?” Ciel’s eyelids suddenly regained the ability to open. The complete dark he’d been surrounded in was intruded and flooded by blinding light. And then, as the light’s intensity faded like a withering flower, there was Sebastian. Azure was met with crimson. And for a split second, all air escaped from the youth’s lungs.
That was, until he became uncomfortably and fully aware of just how compromising their position was.
He blinked; the entirety of the situation slowly sinking into the cells of his brain. More debris littered the floor, dirt and dust covered their dark coats making them look as if a five year old had taken a powder puff to them, and now a single ray of sunlight infiltrated the dilapidated building from where roof shingles had once been. Such details though were overlooked for something far more urgent was before Ciel - literally. Sebastian, spread over and flush against him. The man’s raven locks sprinkled with dust and dangling in the boy’s face, ruby eyes swirling with - if even possible - concern. Ciel felt his mask slip as his lower lip quivered and the faintest trace of a whimper passed his pink lips.
As quickly as he lost composure, he found it again. Cheeks flaming and eyes flaring, he began struggling beneath the demon.
“Get off of me!”
Sebastian’s mouth pulled upwards into his familiar smirk, not budging in the slightest.
“Are you deaf you insufferable demon?!” The Earl raged, “I said get off! This is not some picnic in the courtyard where you can lay about! Off, that’s an order!”
The boy scowled as his butler leisurely, teasingly rose to his hands, knees, and finally feet, offering a hand to assist his young master off the ground. Ciel ignored the gesture, helping himself to his feet. He gave his clothing a good pat, brushing what he could of the dirt away. A sense of relief washed over him, but was joined by a pang of disappointment at the loss of contact.
“Young master.”
“What is it?” His voice was frigid.
“Your eye patch.” Sebastian scooped the accessory from the floor. “If I may…?”
The boy ripped it from his butler’s hand. “I am quite capable, Sebastian.” He said, tying the patch around his head with a messy, lopsided bow. “Now,” He paused, glancing cautiously up at the ceiling, “We shall take our leave.”
Title: The Nightmare of You
Fandom: Kuroshitsuji
Pairing: SebastianxCiel
Rating: PG-13
Chapter One: http://neemochan.livejournal.com/912.html
Chapter Two:
Having awoken much more refreshed than earlier that morning, Ciel sat coolly on his large leather chair in the study, sipping his tea while Sebastian laced up his shoes.
“I must apologize” Sebastian said. “I did not have adequate time to prepare your breakfast this morning.”
The Earl replaced his cup on its saucer. “Couldn’t you have readied it while I was asleep?”
The demon sat back on his heels and slightly raised an eyebrow at his master. “Sir, I mean no disrespect, but it is difficult to prepare a meal while sitting at your bedside during the hours in which I normally prepare it.”
“…You didn’t have to stay the entire time.” Muttered the boy; a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
“I considered your request an order.”
“I meant until I fell asleep.”
Sebastian nodded. Truly, he did not mind watching over the boy as he slept. There was something about watching the boy’s features relax and his guard drop…it was like a whole other side to his master only appearing in moonlight. “I shall assume such details next time.”
The youth huffed and outstretched his hand. The butler laid the morning paper into the expecting hand before standing. “I’ll prepare breakfast now, young master.”
“I shall take breakfast in here this morning, Sebastian.”
The butler bowed, hand folding across his chest. “Yes my lord.”
With a satisfied flick of the newsprint, the London Times opened and the Earl retreated to the articles within. But once the gracefully soft footsteps of his butler disappeared, he dropped the print in a wrinkled heap upon his desk and meandered down the corridor to the library, tea cup still in hand.
Ciel silently sipped his Earl Grey as he studied the shelves of titles before him. When nothing touched his lips, he squinted into the cup to discover it was empty. He let out a heavy sigh as if an empty tea cup was the most troublesome thing in the world. Of course, it was not. He was still reeling slightly from the latest terror; small flickers of his frightening vision rippled through him occasionally like aftershocks of an earthquake. If he could, he would’ve forgotten that morning’s happenings entirely, but such was one of the few things he did not have control over.
Those dreams had grown to a degree of being unable to ignore. They no longer stuck to their boundaries of only haunting him in the night; they were slowly seeping into his daylight thoughts like a plague. There was surely some sort of cure, or rather a solution. That was what brought the boy to the library that morning. He was in search of a solution. Ciel was positive there was at least one book amongst those shelves that held the key.
His finger grazed the bindings of fiction, history, philosophy…then stopped. Psychology; one blue, medium-sized volume made up the section. The Earl quickly placed his empty cup on a nearby table before hesitantly reaching for the book. He ultimately slid it from its place nestled between fiction and non-fiction. Flipping the faded blue cover open, Ciel thumbed through the yellowed pages until he happened upon his answer. Dreams: Illusions brought on by one’s subconscious during sleep; usually reflecting an inner desire… He snapped the book shut. That was an answer enough for him. Ciel sighed through clenched teeth. Who had been the center of all of these fantasies?
He plopped into the lounge chair behind him. It shouldn’t have come as any surprise to him; deep down, he knew there existed this problem that had seemed to cultivate the more he ignored it. He could feel his face redden now just thinking about it. Inwardly he stomped upon the thoughts, the invasive vines twisting themselves around his mind. Ciel Phantomhive had no feelings for that demon whatsoever. It was ludicrous, imprudent, unethical…not to mention illegal.
But, then again, dreams ought to be pleasant. These terrors were not - therefore, they did not classify as dreams and furthermore, did not reflect desires. Ciel kicked all concern over the matter to the furthest corner of his brain. He did not have feelings toward Sebastian; he knew so for a fact. Besides, if nightmares reflected desires as well, that would mean Ciel had some inner wish for Sebastian to die. He wasn’t that hateful towards his servant.
“You appear to have forgotten this, young master.” The morning paper landed in Ciel’s lap, startling him from his reverie. “I see you have decided to take breakfast in the library instead.” The butler glanced to the side table where the discarded book lay. “Psychology, hmm? ‘Tis quite a heavy topic… and yet, an amusing one. The human mind works in perplexing ways. For instance: Did you know, my lord,” Sebastian murmured into his master’s ear - far too close for Ciel’s comfort. “that dreams often times reflect one’s inner desires?”
The boy’s cheeks burned. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. It was as if he had been read like an open book. He could feel the smirk slide across Sebastian’s lips. He blinked and regained his composure. “Rubbish.” He scoffed as he kicked off his shoes and crossed his legs. “The notion that one’s desires are in their dreams…dreams are nothing but illusions randomly created by the mind during sleep. They are meaningless things, Sebastian. Surely you do not believe in such nonsense?”
The butler chortled under his breath. “Of course not, my lord.”
Ciel was playing his little game of denial once again. A game where he took something and sold it as twaddle and, in the process, attempted to convince himself that it was indeed twaddle. Sebastian had seen the boy engage in this game with himself often enough he could spot it in its beginning sparks with a blind fold over his eyes.
Rather than inquire about his master’s concern with dreams, the demon continued forward in trivial conversation. “Are there any note-worthy headlines this morning, young master?”
Ciel’s gaze fell to the paper in his lap. To be quite frank, he really had no interest in the news on this particular morning. Nevertheless, he unfolded the print and began to sort through the articles worth reading and ones that were not. “Well,” he drawled, “it appears there was a fire in the foreigner district of town….The Yard has most likely got their knickers in a knot over it.”
“Ah, that reminds me.” Sebastian quickly reached into his breast pocket. “This arrived with the morning post.” He handed to Ciel a delicate envelope with the royal seal upon it.
The Earl quickly read the Queen’s letter before sending Sebastian an icy glare. “You could have just given me the letter first rather than make me find the article on it, you know.” The two locked eyes for a second. “Feh, of course you knew.”
“My apologies, my lord.” Sebastian’s smirk, though, did not seem to reflect any regret.
Ciel sighed, tired of his butler’s antics. “I’ll examine the scene this afternoon, preferably after lunchtime. Be sure that the carriage is ready, Sebastian.”
“I shall go make the preparations, my lord.” With a shallow bow, Sebastian turned to take his leave.
“Sebastian.” Ciel called after him. The butler raised an eyebrow in question. The boy wiggled his toes expectantly. “My shoes; I want them on again.”
“Now,” Ciel murmured to himself. “What exactly happened here?” His single cerulean eye swept the charred scene as he stepped from the carriage.
“You!” Someone shouted. “You there! Phantomhive!”
Ciel sighed as Commissioner Randal briskly walked in his direction.
“I had a feeling I’d spot you snooping around as usual.” He scowled. “This is our scene. I’m not giving you permission to be here, so it would be best if-.” Randal paused as Ciel thrust the Queen’s note at his chest.
“You’re dealing with a higher authority, Commissioner.” The Earl sidestepped the man and onto the singed debris. “The Yard just doesn’t satisfy Her Majesty’s needs, I suppose…” He smirked triumphantly.
“Damn kid.” Randal muttered under his breath. “Aberline! Bring me that case file!”
The young officer hurried over to the Commissioner, juggling papers and miraculously pulling the case file from the pile without dropping them. “Here it is, sir.”
Ciel snatched it into his gloved hand. “Hmm…” He hummed as he skimmed the text. He then turned round to face the devastated building behind him. “It was an opium den, was it? Drug competition I’d suspect. One dealer wanted business all for himself and scorched the other’s establishment. It’s quite simple, really. I’m rather surprised you hadn’t figured that yourself, Commissioner.”
“Of course, that was the first-.”
“Regardless,” Ciel handed back the file. “We should take a look inside. It is just a theory after all and evidence is necessary to solidify the case, not to mention tie a suspect to the crime. Sebastian?” The boy turned to his butler who offered a steady arm for support as the two trudged through the rubble.
“Now wait just a minute!” Randal shouted after them.
“Higher authority, Commissioner.” Ciel reminded in a mocking tone.
Commissioner Randal growled. “At least watch yourself in there! That building is unstable from the fire damage!”
He didn’t like this. Not one bit. Ciel gazed around the interior of the structure, charred beams and ash everywhere he turned. He hated cases that involved fires. He loathed them. They never ceased to remind him of the terrors of his past.
“Sebastian.” The boy halted in a doorway. “Marching through this wreckage is exhausting. Continue forward in further investigation. Report back with anything you find out of the ordinary.”
Without objection, Sebastian carried on, uttering a “yes, my lord.” Left to himself Ciel looked about again, knocking around pieces of brick and lumber with the tip of his cane. Then, he paused, staring into the rubble. He found himself caught in a daze as he recalled kneeling down in practically the same scorched fragments, retrieving a glistening blue gem buried beneath. The youth shook his head, memory disappearing, as he became heavily aware of the Phantomhive family ring upon his thumb. He raised his hand before him, studying the jewel almost too large for his finger. The sapphire glinted at him, as if it were teasing him, reminding him of the meaning it held; the darker side of being a family heirloom.
Suddenly, there was crumbling. Clattering and clanking sounded over his head. The Earl stared upward, squinting into the soot covered loft. His eyes widened as falling debris came into focus. Scrambling as fast as he could, he jumped to the side, dodging the rubble as it crashed through what remained of the ceiling.
“Young master, are you alright?” Sebastian called from further within the building.
Ciel coughed and choked on the ash that was kicked up by the impact. “Peachy.” Slowly, the boy got to his feet and began brushing the dirt from his clothes. “Make haste, Sebastian! I do not wish to be here the entire day!” He growled.
“Of course, my lord.” On cue, the butler appeared from the depths of the building.
“Well?” Ciel inquired rather impatiently.
“The building was vacant when it was set ablaze. There were no signs of a struggle to escape from what I could gather. I also did not discover any form of human remains, so it is safe to say there were no casualties.” Sebastian stated serenely.
Ciel nodded, satisfied. “That certainly makes things less messy.” He started to gaze around rather aimlessly again.
Sebastian could tell this situation made his young master uncomfortable. He could practically see Ciel squirming in his spot although he wasn’t moving a muscle. “Young master, do you wish to depart? I am certain these conditions are less than desirable to you -.”
“There.” Ciel thrust a finger towards the opposite side of the room. “There, in the corner. What is that?”
Almost instantly, Sebastian was kneeling down to collect the item that had caught the boy’s attention. “It is a piece of fabric, my lord, an oriental style cloth. It is authentic as well. I must say, this pattern looks very familiar to me…”
“Take it with you. That’s our only physical piece of evidence. Perhaps it will point us to the culprit.” The Earl turned to the doorway. “We shall take our leave n…” He trailed off as rumbling started again from above. The structure creaked and shuddered. Thuds and knocking reverberated until a thunderous crash filled the air and the section of ceiling hanging over Ciel’s head began to cave in.
It all happened painfully slow in Sebastian’s eyes; the clatter, the crash, the young master turning his head upward in alarm before desperately stumbling backwards, but not far enough. The wreckage shattered through the garret, Ciel raised his arms above his head, “Sebas-!” But his feet were already moving. “Young master!” He threw himself at the boy, knocking him to the ground, just in time to take the brunt of the collapse.
He was dead. Positive, in fact. Ciel could find no other explanation. It was all over, and what a pathetic way to go. But it was of no matter. Any second now his thoughts would cease as he’d be swallowed by the excruciating pain involved in the devouring of his soul. But there was no fear in his mind. Rather, there was eagerness. For he knew the sooner his soul was collected, the sooner he’d see Sebastian, or at the very least feel the demon’s touch. A touch that he so secretly yearned, he wasn’t even consciously aware of it. If that were to be his final experience in his entire existence, a caress from Sebastian, whether it be gentle or rough or violent…it would certainly be better than the current crushing sensation on his chest.
Sound began reaching his ears, but only in muffled pieces. Ciel breathed a content sigh, a final breath, as he rendered heaving his chest against the forceful weight useless, surrendering to death.
“Young master!” He heard a faint voice. Sebastian. Oh, how that voice soothed him. He could feel his lips form the name but didn’t realize the name left his lips in a quiet whisper.
“Young master, can you hear me?”
Ciel’s features scrunched together. Why did Sebastian sound so distressed? Where had that usual sultry tone disappeared to?
“My lord, you need to answer me.”
“…I…don’t need to answer anyone.” The boy finally murmured; a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “…Sebastian?”
“What is it, young master?” Came the butler’s reply.
“…I can’t…breathe.”
“I apologize for placing you in such discomfort, my lord.”
“…what?” Ciel’s eyelids suddenly regained the ability to open. The complete dark he’d been surrounded in was intruded and flooded by blinding light. And then, as the light’s intensity faded like a withering flower, there was Sebastian. Azure was met with crimson. And for a split second, all air escaped from the youth’s lungs.
That was, until he became uncomfortably and fully aware of just how compromising their position was.
He blinked; the entirety of the situation slowly sinking into the cells of his brain. More debris littered the floor, dirt and dust covered their dark coats making them look as if a five year old had taken a powder puff to them, and now a single ray of sunlight infiltrated the dilapidated building from where roof shingles had once been. Such details though were overlooked for something far more urgent was before Ciel - literally. Sebastian, spread over and flush against him. The man’s raven locks sprinkled with dust and dangling in the boy’s face, ruby eyes swirling with - if even possible - concern. Ciel felt his mask slip as his lower lip quivered and the faintest trace of a whimper passed his pink lips.
As quickly as he lost composure, he found it again. Cheeks flaming and eyes flaring, he began struggling beneath the demon.
“Get off of me!”
Sebastian’s mouth pulled upwards into his familiar smirk, not budging in the slightest.
“Are you deaf you insufferable demon?!” The Earl raged, “I said get off! This is not some picnic in the courtyard where you can lay about! Off, that’s an order!”
The boy scowled as his butler leisurely, teasingly rose to his hands, knees, and finally feet, offering a hand to assist his young master off the ground. Ciel ignored the gesture, helping himself to his feet. He gave his clothing a good pat, brushing what he could of the dirt away. A sense of relief washed over him, but was joined by a pang of disappointment at the loss of contact.
“Young master.”
“What is it?” His voice was frigid.
“Your eye patch.” Sebastian scooped the accessory from the floor. “If I may…?”
The boy ripped it from his butler’s hand. “I am quite capable, Sebastian.” He said, tying the patch around his head with a messy, lopsided bow. “Now,” He paused, glancing cautiously up at the ceiling, “We shall take our leave.”