Ciel is sick, Sebastian takes care of him. That's pretty much it. Lots of fluff.
I don't own black butler or its characters!
As per the usual, Sebastian entered the young master's room to wake him up for the day. His light footfalls didn't make nearly enough noise to wake Ciel. He had always been a heavy sleeper. But it was only right for an earl of his stature to rise and fall with the sun. So he dread it as he may, his butler was specifically requested to get Ciel out of bed before 8:00am.
Sebastian took a moment to appreciate how calm and vulnerable his young master looked while he slept. All of the tensions worn during Ciel's periods of consciousness disappear, replaced with a slacked jaw and bead-head. Unfortunately it could not last. Sebastian drew the curtains back in one swift motion, spilling the morning sun into the room. The sleeping earl gave a soft groan and flipped away from the intrusive light.
"Not now Sebastian." He mumbled. His voice sounded scratchy, but it was probably because he was just awaking. His butler merely chuckled.
"Would you rather I wake you earlier?" Sebastian asked with a sly sarcastic smile. Yet the only reply he received was a few feeble coughs. The butler immediately stiffened. "Are you feeling quite alright?"
"Mmm." Ciel murmured.
"That's not a straightforward answer at all, my lord." Sebastian said. He walked closer to the bed to try and get a better look. Ciel would not have that. He buried himself beneath the blankets and curled into a fetal position. He did not want people doting upon him. If only he could just remain in bed for the rest of the day without questioning, but his body betrayed him. Right then Ciel was consumed by the overwhelming need to sneeze.
Sebastian pulled the covers down and (with as little force as necessary) turned his young lord towards him. Ciel was white as a sheet, with flushed cheeks. The clothes and bedding around him were damp with sweat. His eyes were glossy and half-lidded. His nostrils began to flare, and eyebrows furrowed. He flipped his head back towards the bed and stifled three sneezes into his hand. They almost always come in threes. Most definitely ill, Sebastian concluded.
"Oh, dear. It seems we've gone and caught ourselves a bug." Sebastian teased. Ciel groaned.
"I'm not in the mood for your patronizing." he stated, and returned to the warm safety of his blankets.
"Even so, you won't get any better with your sheets in such a condition. If you would get out of bed for just a moment I could remedy the situation." Sebastian offered.
"Whoever said I was si—HEY!" Ciel exclaimed as the covers were ripped away. He shivered violently. His butler grabbed him from beneath the arm pits and set him down near the bed. The vertigo nearly tipped him over, but he grabbed the night stand to steady himself.
"Still protesting the obvious facts, my lord? Then would you prefer to carry out your daily activities as usual?" Sebastian asked. His master shot him a nasty glare, but another wave of vertigo took him over, and he had to use his butler for support. Ciel sighed.
"…I suppose not." he said, defeated. Sebastian smiled. Already having replaced the sheets, he sat Ciel down on the bed and began changing his night shirt. Button by button, the shirt was removed, and a new one on his shoulders almost instantly. The young lord felt the untimely urge to sneeze again. Noticing Ciel's uneven rising and falling of his chest, Sebastian looked up.
Ciel's lips were slightly parted, forehead crinkled, and head tipped slightly back. His breathing consisted of sharp inhales, followed by shaky exhales. Each time he exhaled a little "huh" escaped. He turned his head over his shoulder in preparation.
"..huh…huh…Hut'kshh!...Het'KSSHH!"
He inhaled and froze there for a few moments, holding one finger up as a signal to Sebastian that he was not finished.
"….'kkSHHh!...unh." he finally released.
"Bless you, my lord." Sebastian said, a bit surprised, and continued buttoning up the new night shirt. Ciel only blushed. To his distress, he felt a tickle in his nose yet again. There was not so much of a warning this time. Only the last two sneezes made it behind his shoulder.
"hat'KSHH! HUT'kshh! Huh'KSHhu! Huh'KShhu!..unh." Each forceful, yet quiet, sneeze jerked his body so that Sebastian felt the need to steady him, placing his hands on the master's shoulders. Ciel slowly looked back up at Sebastian, itching his nose. A handkerchief awaited him, in the midst of well prepared hands. He grabbed it and softly blew his nose with only the grace that a gentleman could manage. His little child-like nose was shining a bright pink once he finished.
"Don't even." Ciel said, which as much anger as he could with such a stuffed up, scratchy voice.
"Sorry, don't even what, my lord?" Sebastian asked. The young master scoffed, which turned into a coughing fit. It started small and weak, but quickly escalated. It seemed impossible that such violent coughing could come from such a small-framed child. The tiny balled fist he was using to muffle them did no good. For once, Sebastian was at a loss at what to do. Human functions weren't exactly his specialty. So he fetched a glass of water, then grabbed his master's shoulders once again, and tried to steady him. Even though the coughing racked the young master's body so, it felt like butterfly wings brushing up against his palms. Such a weak body his master has.
Eventually the fit ended. Ciel noticed the hands on him and shook them off.
"Water." He croaked. Sebastian eagerly handed the glass to him. The earl's hand was shaking a bit, but he managed to get a drink without any issues. He flopped backwards onto the oversized bed, exhausted by the whole ordeal, and closed his eyes.
Sebastian remained in a kneeling position. He was a bit shocked with everything that had happened over the past few minutes. He had never seen his master in this state before. It awakened such parental feelings in him he never knew he had. Perhaps he did feel something more towards this boy besides a hunger for his soul. Then again, with such a poor helpless creature as the one that lay before him, anybody would feel sympathy.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. In an instant Sebastian was there, finding a bewildered finny.
"I-Is…the young master going to be coming to breakfast soon?" he asked.
"uuUgghhHHhh." Ciel faintly groaned. Both Finny and Sebastian turned to look at him. Now laying sideways across the bed in his night shirt, Ciel had crossed his arms over his face.
"Sorry, but no. The young master is feeling a bit under the weather today." Sebastian explained with a coy smile. As if to confirm it Ciel stifled three sneezes into his arms, diving farther into a sit-up each time.
"HUp-mmm! HUp-mmm! HUp-mmm!...dah." he sighed and flopped back down, arms still across his face.
"Oh." Finny said with wide eyes, and walked away a bit awkwardly. Sebastian slowly closed the door and walked back to where his master lay. He looked at the pitiful boy and sighed. He was lying rather still. Perhaps he was aslee –
"I think I'm going to be sick." Ciel said.
"You already are, my lord."
"No you idiot, like – " Ciel's eyes widened as he clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Oh." Sebastian exclaimed, and grabbed the nearest waste basket. Ciel bolted upright, and the basket was there just in time. The young earl didn't have much in his stomach, so after the first couple of retches it was just dry heaving. Sebastian was disgusted, but at the same time felt absolutely awful for his master. He removed his gloves to eliminate any chance of getting vomit on them, and started rubbing Ciel's back. He stopped heaving, and just kind of hung his head there, shivering. His butler disposed of the basket's contents, but kept the basket around just in case. Sebastian came back and felt his master's forehead. He leaned into the cool touch.
"Just how many more symptoms are you planning to develop little one?"
"Hat'kshhu!...unh"
They both chuckled a little bit. The young earl was picked up and placed neatly under his covers, a cool towel placed on his head. Another blanket was fetched, yet he could not stop shivering.
"What would you have me do, young master" Sebastian asked.
"…you have your own warmth to lend do you not?" Ciel asked, still trying to be proper and authoritative. His butler sighed, and removed his shoes. He sat with his back straight up against the backboard, wishing he had never agreed to this. Ciel placed his head in the available lap, and hugged the accompanying legs underneath the covers. Within two minutes his breathing evened out, snoring softly. Every once in a while he would sneeze, wake himself up, look around quite confusedly and go back to sleep.
Perhaps this butler did feel something towards the boy other than a hunger for his soul.