Happy holidays everyone! I present to you, my Christmas fic! It's only partially finished, but I'm posting the incredibly short first half now to make my deadline seem less daunting and to save myself a bit of time since I'm celebrating next weekend instead of Christmas Day. I hope you all enjoy this chapter until I get the next one out~
Night had fallen upon the Phantomhive Manor. Outside the snow was falling heavily, blanketing the grounds in a thick sheet of the cold substance and dusting the barren trees and windowsills with it's pure glow. By morning it would be near impossible to travel anywhere by carriage if the flurries continued on as they were, not that it would be much of a problem to the people of London and the countryside surrounding it. After all, tomorrow is Christmas Day, and no one travels on Christmas Day. The Earl of Phantomhive is not excluded from that generalization, though that was more for convenience than anything else. The unexpected blizzard was what he deemed a 'Christmas miracle' as he had heard so many say when good things happened near the holiday season. With the roads covered in ice, there was no way he could possibly make it all the way into London for the Midford's annual Christmas Ball, thus excusing him from the event with little more than a 'heartfelt' letter of apology. With worries over travel and party-worthy attire now cleared from his mind, he was able to spend the rest of the night in some semblance of peace, curled up in the corner of his favourite lounge near the fireplace with a cup of warm apple cider in one hand and a book in the other. The occasional sound of a dropped box or that of a tea set wavering precautiously on the edge of a counter still rattled the hush every now and again, but apart from that everything was oddly calm, if not unnervingly so. The last he had seen, the servants had set to work baking and decorating Christmas cookies, with Sebastian's aid of course, determined to offer it to their master a Christmas Eve gift rather than waiting until Christmas Day to do so.
When he first caught them creeping about near the kitchen he had shrugged it off and asked Sebastian to join them, his subtle order to keep the kitchen from falling to pieces masked under the guise of Sebastian wishing to join them in preparing the baked treats to appease the earl. In truth though, Ciel was pleased with how the evening had gone. The expertly prepared dinner of roast and potatoes had been hot and exemplary, easily warming him from the inside out, and hardly any letters demanded his attention, allowing him more than half of the day free from any duties or obligations. The highlight of the afternoon had been when Finny chose to offer no mercy though, putting faux antlers on the head of every fellow servant, including the butler himself. Sebastian had been none too pleased with the accessory, but said nothing against it and made no move to dispose of it when he noticed the glee relfecting in the young heir's eyes as he stifled a laugh at his expense. He supposed the humilation was well worth it to see his secret lover's rare smile. And so he left them on, where they still stood tall and proud now as he instructed Bard to knead the last circle of dough and Snake to help Mey-Rin ice the recent batch of cookies while he removed the freshest ones from the oven and set them aside to cool. He would have to make sure the help only presented the aristocrat with a sparse amount lest he eat a dozen by himself. He had quite the sweet-tooth and that especially applied to the sugar-dusted cookies he designed with green, white, and red to make it appear as a tree, topping it with a golden star before doing the same for the remainder left on the metal sheet.
They were all coming along fantastically, adding up to a fairly large pile of trees, snowflakes, candy canes, bows, and stars once they were all stacked atop a festive dish, the cream plate adorned with swirls of crimson and evergreen, and rimmed in shimmering gold. "Mister Sebastian, you'll take these up to the young master while we finish wrapping presents, won't you?" Mey-Rin asked excitedly with a smile as bright as the sun gracing her lips, a smitten Bard unable to take his eyes off of her as he leaned against the counter near Finny and Snake. "Yes, Mey-Rin, I shall carry them up immediately alongside the hot cocoa," Sebastian said, gathering a smaller plate with one of each design and the delicate cup containing the chocolately drink, "You all did very well. The young master has told me to inform you that the rest of the evening and tomorrow is yours to do with as you please, no further work is expected from you until the holiday has passed." A chorus of gracious words and excited chatter filled the air as the servant's left in a flurry of movement, most likely on their way to finish the gift wrapping they had mentioned. Sebastian chuckled at the frantic scene while silently pleading to not hear the sound of shattered vases or glasses, before heading upstairs to the library where the head of the house currently resided.
The sight that greeted him upon entering with three soft knocks brought an unnatural warmth to the demon's chest. Thin legs were crossed elegantly at the knee while a single cerulean eye closely followed the words that made-up the story he read by fire-light. His posture was not in anyway ridgid like it often was when he spoke of business, it was relaxed, as if he had not a single worry weighing down on him. And perhaps that was true for the time being. His mind was blissfully void of his troubles for a single day and he couldn't be anymore grateful for it. The break was hard earned in Sebastian's opinion. Speaking smoothly as to not jolt his master, since he seemed not to have not yet noticed his presence, Sebastian strode to his side, setting the plate of sweets on the small table beside the sanguine lounge with a quiet 'click'. "Young master, I have brought you some hot cocoa with the cookies the servants' baked for you. They did quite well."
Setting aside his book to focus on the taller male instead, Ciel accepted the offered cup with a appreciative nod, deeply inhaling the heady scent of chocolate, marshmallows, cream, and caramel drizzle before taking a small sip, an accidental moan slipping through his lips at its exquisite flavour. "Thank you, Sebastian. I am pleased to know the kitchen is not in a state of dispair," the boy replied, picking up and taking a bite of a cookie iced in the shape of a blue snowflake, "These are rather good. I suspect they had a bit of help in their endeavor?" Folding his legs beside himself on the cushions, Ciel finished the baked good and set aside the warm beverage for the time being, all attention now on his loyal manservant. With a sly shimmer in his eyes, Ciel leant his head against his fist, watching Sebastian calmly as he addressed him, "As you know, Christmas Day is tomorrow, and I have bought each of the servants gifts. But it has come to my attention that I didn't know what to purchase for you." He halted for a moment to decide exactly what he wanted to say; Sebastian waited patiently for him to get his thoughts in order. "Now, I did look last time we were in London, but nothing much came to mind. But then, when we returned to the manor, I finally thought of something to give you. The only issue is, I would much prefer to give it to you tonight instead of tomorrow, but to do so, I need you to meet me under the tree at precisely midnight. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lord. I understand pefectly, and I shall be there not a second sooner or later. Might I ask that you allow me to give you my offering tonight as well? I belive you will find it quite satisfactory," Sebastian questioned, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips as he thought about that small box wrapped beneath the tree, sitting innocently alongside its green and silver wrapped counterparts. It wouldn't do for the servants to find out what lied within, it was for his and his little darling's eyes only. And what a sight it would be... "Yes, you may give me whatever it is you have gotten me. Though I told you there was no need to get me anything." Despite the grumble of disapproval, an eagerness could be found hiding beneath his thin mask of indignation, his usual facade of disinterest melting away in the heat of the moment. "If I remember correctly, I said the exact same thing, and yet you still chose to give me something. Pot and kettle, Ciel," the demon leaned close to purr, his master's given name rolling off the tip of his tongue like smooth silk. With a shiver running up his spine, Ciel's lashes lowered slightly as he gazed at the raven-haired man from the corner of his eye, wetting his lips as he pulled his love closer by his tie, pressing his lips to the other's in a short but deep kiss. "Don't speak that way, Sebastian, or we may not leave this room at all tonight." A rumbling chuckle was muffled by Ciel's lips as Sebastian pulled away enough to see the rosy cheeks of his lord. Nights of endless pleasure shared merely one floor above the servants, quick romps taking place beneath the largest oak near the pond at the edge of the estate, wandering hands beneath heavy coats within the confines of the carriage, and still Ciel blushed like the most chaste of virgins seeing a man bare for the first time. The coral hue did nothing to quell Sebastian's amusement even though the earl was quick to regain his composure. "I can't say I would be opposed to that, though I think we should save that for another night. After all, I am very eager to see what you think of your gift." Straightening once Ciel had released his tie, he readjusted the ebony fabric as he spoke, attention never straying from his master-turned-lover, "To avoid temptation, I shall leave you be until then. But do ring if you need me, my lord."
"Very well, Sebastian. When you see me next, I shall await you with a gift you cannot refuse." Ciel watched the door shut behind his butler as he raised his cup to his lips, lustful grin in place as he picked up his book to resume reading his previous chapter.
The game was only just beginning and Ciel was eager to see the outcome.
