Ciel's horse reared and lunged forwards, sending a very unprepared Ciel flying headfirst into the woods. He tumbled as he flew, landing hard with a thud and cried out, pain radiating through his ankle. His foot was at an odd angle, and it throbbed mercilessly. His horse galloped away then, becoming a small dot in the distance, and Ciel cussed. Carefully, he tried to stand, using a tree trunk as support, but any time he put the slightest bit of weight on his foot it ached. Ciel groaned internally as he stood, cursing himself and his own stupidity. He should have been paying more attention to his horse, but his mind was elsewhere. He wondered how he was going to get back home considering his horse was long gone, and the most movement Ciel could muster was a hop. A breeze blew at him, lifting his hair in all sorts of directions and he muttered, shaking his fringe back from his , he thought. It always comes to this. Calmly, ignoring the searing pain in his foot, Ciel leaned his head against the bark of the tree. "Sebastian." He ordered, his eye flashing beneath its eye patch. "Come."

It was a few seconds of silence before the butler appeared, looking neat as always. There was not a single strand of hair ruffled on his head. He stood tall, at roughly 6'1", but bowed upon seeing his master. "Yes, young master?"

Ciel frowned- his voice was too pleasant. He stuck his leg out, holding onto the tree for balance. "I fell, and this hurts. Is it broken?"

Swiftly Sebastian bent down and grabbed Ciel's leg, tilting his head. "I'll have to remove your boot to see. This will hurt, young master."

Grimacing, the young boy nodded, bracing himself. "Do it."

Sebastian gingerly maneuvered the boot up, being as gentle as he could be, but each tiny movement resulted in a hiss from his master's mouth. His face was now a sickly pale colour, and his knuckles were white from holding on to the tree so tight. Sebastian managed to get the boot off, much to Ciel's relief, and examined his foot. It was bent at a slightly odd angle, but upon looking at it Sebastian decided it was not broken. "It appears to be dislocated."

Ciel lay his forehead against the tree. "Put it back into place."

"Pardon, master?" Sebastian's eyebrows raised. He had never particularly popped a bone into place before, considering it was extremely hard to break his. "I'm not familiar with the process. Perhaps we should call for the doctor?"

"Can you do it or not? If I wanted a doctor I would have called for one instead of asking you." He grumbled, attempting to glare at the butler, who only smiled in response.

Sebastian crossed a hand over his heart. "A Phantomhive butler who cannot do this much isn't worth his salt." Carefully, he placed his fingers on Ciel's foot and, without giving Ciel any warning, snapped his foot back into place.

Ciel gasped and cried out, pain swarming through his whole leg. He sank down, falling into Sebastian, and groaned. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Young master, I would ask you not to that, please." Sebastian said, scooping the boy into his arms. He did look dreadfully pale, and sweat was forming on his forehead. Was it really that sore? Sebastian picked up the shoe on the ground and shook his head; humans are so fragile.

Swiftly he stood, and began to run back to the manor. The wind blew at their faces, nipping Ciel's ears, but the lurches and jumps of Sebastian was too much, and Ciel clutched at his lapels. "Stop."

Immediately Sebastian halted, the cessation of motion causing another wave of nausea to roll over Ciel. "Yes?"

"Sebastian," He groaned. "If you don't want me to throw up, slow down. Just walk."

Sebastian held back a sigh and began to walk. It's not that Ciel was heavy- he hardly weighed a thing- but rather the fact that walking was slow, and Sebastian had to start dinner preparations soon. Still, he walked, taking care not to jostle his master, who had his fist still clutching to the lapel of Sebastian's uniform. His eye was closed, and Sebastian would have thought he was asleep if it wasn't for the twitching of his mouth. Eventually they reached the Phantomhive manor, and were greeted by Mey-rin. She waved at them and Sebastian rolled his eyes, nodding back. Bounding over, she saw Ciel and put her hands to her mouth, cooing. "Aw, is he asleep? That is so cute! I wish someone would carry me like that when I'm tired." By someone, she meant Sebastian, of course.

Ciel's eyes opened and he flushed red, the embarrassment of Mey-rin's words damaging to his pride. He was not cute; he was a respectable Earl! Ciel pushed himself off Sebastian with a grunt and landed hard on the ground. He groaned, but pulled himself up, and tried to walk, but his ankle wavered with each step and more searing pain shot up his leg. Panting, Ciel looked up at Mey-rin. "Get back to work."

She bowed her head and nodded, scurrying off. Sebastian shook his head at his master's obvious mistreatment of his staff- he could be incredibly bratty sometimes. Ciel could feel Sebastian's stare as he attempted to walk to the room, but chose to ignore it, focusing on not falling again. Each step was painful, but was feeling slightly better since Sebastian had knocked it back into place. Watching him struggle, Sebastian took two strides and ended up next to Ciel, who was panting from his efforts. "Young mater, the servants have left. Allow me to carry you."

"No." A few more shuffles and he'd be at the stairs. Ciel gulped- how was he supposed to get up them?

Silently, Sebastian's strong arms wrapped around Ciel from behind and he lifted him up gingerly, taking care not to hurt him. The boy squirmed in his arms, but one stern stare from Sebastian's dulled crimson eyes quietened him, and he caved, leaning his head against his butler's chest. Truth be told, Ciel liked being carried by Sebastian. He felt safe, complete in the knowledge that almost nothing could beat his butler, who would protect him for the rest of his life. Ciel frowned as he thought about that. He knew he shouldn't take too much pleasure from something like this, since Sebastian was only here for Ciel's soul, and only kept him safe as part of the contract. Still, he indulged himself and inhaled, lying still in his arms. It was a strange feeling that this contact gave him. He knew he shouldn't feel this emotionally attached to a demon, but he couldn't deny it; they had some sort of bond that Ciel felt was something other than the contract. Maybe he was just kidding himself, and Sebastian felt nothing. Either way, it wouldn't matter, because once he'd discovered his parents murderers Sebastian would take his soul and leave, and Ciel would never see him again.

Sebastian walked into Ciel's room and placed him gently on the bed. He could see his master's forehead creased in thought, almost worry, and he tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"

Ciel's eyes shot up and widened, before a slight blush coloured his pale cheeks. "No. I'm fine."

"Would you like a bath?" He said pleasantly, unconvinced by the boy's lies. Although he did wonder why he was blushing- his master wasn't usually one to blush.

Ciel sighed and nodded. "Yes. Run it now."

"As you wish." Sebastian turned and walked to the en-suite, where a grand bathtub sat. He turned the golden tap and filled it with hot water, watching the steam added a little cold water too, and once it was full, removed his glove and dipped a finger in. It was just the right temperature for the master.

Walking back in, he saw Ciel lying on the bed still, his eyes closed. It was not even dinner time yet, but his breaths seemed to rise slowly, and Sebastian could tell he was ready for sleep. Shaking his head, he scooped Ciel upright and lay him against the headboard of the bed. Ciel was too tired to complain when Sebastian removed his coat and tie, and started unbuttoning his waistcoat and shirt. He folded them neatly on the bed and signaled for Ciel to lie down so he could remove his shorts, underwear, socks and shoe. Normally Ciel would have some part in undressing himself, but his ankle hurt and he felt weak and still slightly sick, and the relaxing sensation of being carried in Sebastian's arms as well as the prospect of a bath was too much, and he was struggling to fight off sleep. Once he was ready, Sebastian lifted him against his chest and carried him to the bathroom. He placed him gently in the bath and sat on a nearby seat, accompanying his master. "Is it to your satisfaction?"

Ciel's voice was quiet. "It'll do."

The butler smiled- Ciel would never directly compliment him, but would always mention if something Sebastian done was less than desirable. Every 'it'll do' or 'its satisfactory' was actually a high form of praise from the young master. Ciel sat in the bath with no movement for many minutes, until he started to slip under the water. Sebastian's hand shot out and cupped his head, bringing him back up. Ciel's eyes fluttered, and he looked around, slightly confused. Sebastian sighed. "Do you plan on washing, or falling asleep and drowning?"

Ciel looked at him lazily, stifling a yawn. "Shut up and wash me."

Bowing his head, Sebastian smiled. "Forgive me, young master. Of course."

Removing his gloves, which were already wet, Sebastian rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a cloth, dipping in in the water. Ciel hunched over so Sebastian could wash his back, and he noticed the prominent ridges of his spine poking through his skin. Sebastian frowned. "It appears I am not feeding you well enough, young master. I can see your bones."

Ciel dismissed his worry with a wave of his hand. "It is not your job to worry about something so trivial. You know I eat everything you cook."

Sebastian nodded but frowned, eyeing up Ciel's body. He was very thin, despite the fact that he did eat everything Sebastian made. Was he not cooking enough nutritious things? Was he cooking too little portions? He didn't have much knowledge of human diet, and it was proving to be quite troublesome. His hands began to comb through Ciel's hair, massaging shampoo in. He noticed that it was the most unusual colour, a mix between a steel grey and navy blue, and it was a colour Sebastian has not seen on another human in his life. Rhythmically he moved his fingers and gave a small sniff when Ciel tilted his head back and smiled, feeling even more relaxed. Shampoo trickled down his face, along his cheek, and unthinkingly Sebastian reached out and wiped it away, his fingers lingering against Ciel's soft skin. His features were still young, but he was beginning to reach the cusp of maturation, the signs showing all over his face. His cheekbones were more prominent, his jawline was loosing its roundness and becoming sharp, and an adam's apple was beginning to form in his neck. Sebastian started at his young master, tilting his head. He was maturing, but his body was still awfully thin, and as he noticed the deep dents of his collarbones he frowned- he definitely wasn't feeding him enough. Without thinking, he slowly flitted his fingers across Ciel's cheek, some form of admiration surging through him. He may be a brat, but Sebastian was happy that Ciel was his master.

Ciel's eyes flickered open and he looked at Sebastian. He was tired, but he swore he felt the butler touch his face, and thought made him blush. "What are you doing?"

Sebastian lifted his finger to show a trail of shampoo. "Catching this, young master."

Ciel blushed harder. Of course Sebastian hadn't just touched his face, why would he do that? He was just doing his job, like Ciel asked. Even though he knew this, and knew there was nothing to feel sad about, he couldn't help but feel a small pang of disdain. Did he want Sebastian to touch him? Is that what he was feeling sad about? The thoughts swirled in Ciel's head and he groaned, rubbing his forehead. What was it exactly that he felt for Sebastian? Was it admiration? Loyalty? Friendship? Or was this bond just a result of the contract? His head hurt, and he turned to face Sebastian. "Fetch me a towel."

Sebastian grabbed a towel as Ciel stood, the pain in his ankle having resided just enough for him to regain some balance. Sebastian draped the towel around his shoulders and helped him out the bath, letting Ciel lean against him. Water dripped on the floor and his uniform, but he didn't mind. He helped Ciel back to bed and dried him carefully before dressing him in a pale blue nightshirt. When he was ready and in bed, Sebastian smiled. "May I make the presumption that you wont be eating dinner tonight?"

Ciel yawned and nodded. "You would be right. I don't think I should eat anything anyway, I still feel a little sick. Cook for the others if they're hungry."

Sebastian bowed. "Of course."

As he left the room, he was called back by a faint shout from Ciel. He turned, his inky black hair swaying. "Yes, young master?"

"Thankyou."

The butler did a double take, clearly shocked. Ciel had never said thankyou before, especially not without prompting, and Sebastian shook his head. He must be very tired and in a lot of pain if he was delirious enough to thank him. Still, he bowed. "It is my duty to serve you. Goodnight, master."

Ciel yawned, already drifting off to sleep. "Goodnight, 'bastian."

AUTHOR NOTE: This is going be a few chapters long of various events which result in a lot of super cute yaoi moments between these two. It's gonna involve birthdays, heartbreak, crime scenes and feels, so buckle up and get ready for the gay to begin. Review too if you want!