Brassica Napus
Of how emotions may develop in the emotionless.
The Underworld is a dark place. Not dark in the sense that sinister things lurk around every corner (although that's possible too, Ciel supposes), but dark in the sense that there is absolutely no light.
No demon stays in the Underworld for long. Most are bound into contracts, or roam the earth freely to feed on souls like scavengers. Ciel wants to be neither. The endless, pathetic life of a demon is not one that he wanted to live if he could help it, but now that he's here, he isn't sure what to do. He never made plans for anything beyond his death.
"Sebastian." He looks up at his butler. "What am I supposed to do?"
"You wait to be summoned," Sebastian answers, his voice as smooth as the very first day they met. "It shouldn't take long. There are more humans in the world that want a demon more than there are demons."
"Tch." Ciel scowls. "I hated humans when I was one."
"You'll grow to like them, if not purely for the taste of their souls." Ciel's frown deepens.
Sebastian hasn't smiled since that day.
Ciel has had theories that Sebastian never smiled unless it was necessary, and that the show he put on as his butler was a flawless one indeed. It didn't matter to Ciel whether Sebastian smiled or not, but now that he doesn't, he's become an eerie presence that follows Ciel wherever he goes. Nevertheless, Sebastian has become the one familiarity to him in this new world, and although he would never voice it aloud, he's glad that Sebastian is bound to him for all of eternity.
In the darkness, a light begins to glow around both demons. Ciel takes a step back, bumping into Sebastian.
"Young Master." Sebastian's hand touches Ciel's shoulder in assurance. "You're being summoned."
"Oh? That was fast."
"Like I said, there are countless humans wanting a taste of our capabilities." The light around them grows brighter, and Ciel is too wary of the situation to scold Sebastian for talking back. On top of not smiling anymore, he's also become just a touch snarky. Ciel amounts it to nothing more than grumpiness for being foolish enough to accept being his butler for the rest of forever.
In less than a few moments, the light recedes, and Ciel feels a cool breeze on his skin. He's in a forest, the evening sun streaming through the leaves and creating small, radiant rainbows. He's high above the ground, and when he looks down, he sees the blonde hair of a young man turning in circles.
"Hello? Are you there?"
Sebastian leans down, his lips ghosting across the shell of Ciel's ear. "Speak, Young Master. He'll hear you."
Solidifying his resolve, Ciel straightens his back and sets his jaw. "What is it that you desire?" His voice resonates throughout the trees, and a few birds take off skywards.
The blonde man below him freezes. "I…"
Ciel's frown deepens. "Did you summon me without a wish in mind? Do you think I'm here to play?"
Silence falls as the young man seems to collect himself. "I want to kill my parents." Ciel stares down at him, aghast that he would even make such a request. To want to kill the ones who brought you into this world— "I said I want to kill my parents!"
"Do you understand the terms of this agreement?" Ciel demands, harsher than he intended. He remembers his own parents far too clearly—always laughing, always so warm with love.
"Your assistance for my soul, right? I don't care. I don't have anything left to live for in this world."
"He sounds very similar to you, Young Master," Sebastian says, a hint of a smirk in his voice. Ciel can't help but agree, the corners of his mouth lilting upwards.
"Very well. I will kill your parents, and in return, you will give me your soul." Ciel looks down at the back of his hand, and sees a symbol forming: a single feather, surrounded by a thick circle of prickly vines. Appropriate, he thinks dryly to himself. He feels a shift inside him, like a tug towards the human down below. It must be the contract clicking into place.
Ciel sinks lower and lower until his feet touch the ground, and he kneels before the man, head bowing down low. "Ciel Phantomhive at your service."
—
Noah Harper is a simple man from a simple background. Growing up as one of the middle class in London, he lived very happily with his parents and little sister, Abigail. His father was a baker, and his mother stayed at home to take care of the house. It was a good, fortunate life.
Until the bakery went bankrupt. The family was neck deep in debt, and it was absolutely impossible to pay it all off—so in the middle of the night, Noah's parents took Abigail, only fourteen at the time, and sold her to a brothel. With what money they had earned from that, they left a small amount to Noah, and disappeared with the rest.
That was five years ago. Since then, Noah had been living in the slums, looking for any sort of work that could earn him enough for that day's food. He searched for his sister until he found her at one of the best brothels in London, doing much better than he ever could as a man on the streets. She refused to leave with him. And of course she would—who wouldn't? She had a roof over her head, three meals a day, and a bed to sleep in. Selling her body was a reasonable price for all of that.
Until she fell pregnant. The brothel kept her for as long as her bump wasn't too obvious, but at six months, it became much too apparent. They left her on the streets.
Noah hadn't known until two months later, when she found him, malnourished and in premature labor. He didn't have the money to bring her to a proper hospital, so he did what he could to help bring the child into the world. It would be his second chance, he decided. He would treat this baby better than his parents ever treated him and his sister.
In the end, the baby died. So did Abigail.
Noah was pacing up and down, voice wrung with both fury and despair as he told Ciel the story. Ciel remained unmoved.
—
He nose wrinkles at Noah's tiny shack of a home. It is literally that: a shack.
"I don't know where my parents are," Noah says, sitting on a barrel. There are two others lined up against the wall as makeshift chairs. "I've been searching for them for ages." He inspects Ciel closely, like he has been for the past hour. "I still can't believe you're a demon. You're so…young."
Ciel's eyes flash red. "Would you like to test me?" His voice is low, and very, very dangerous. He hasn't spent long in his demon body, but he can certainly feel the significant differences from a human body: longer stamina, the absence of thirst, and the inhumane strength underneath his skin. Earlier, he had meant to jump over a log, but accidentally launched himself into the air instead. He would have had his face planted into the trunk of a tree if Sebastian hadn't saved him in the last moment, long arms wrapping around his light and tiny body.
Swallowing, Noah shakes his head. "No." Despite his strong ambitions, he still seems soft on the inside. Whether he's a proper human or a coward, Ciel will never know.
He looks down at the back of his hand, inspecting the tiny details of the seal, black and etched permanently into his skin for the duration of the contract. Whenever he looks at it or thinks about it, he feels a slight tug towards Noah. The young man is tall with broad shoulders—shoulders that can hold up weight, arms that can support the world. And when Ciel looks at him carefully, he can almost see the flickering flame of his soul, feel the warmth of it; beckoning him, taunting him, waiting to be eaten. Subconsciously, he finds himself licking his lips.
"I will prepare some tea," Sebastian says, smiling—the same smile he used to show Ciel every day. Now, it looks like nothing more than a clown mask. Smiles do not suit Sebastian. "Mr. Harper, do you have any preference?"
"It all tastes the same to me, to be honest, and I don't have any tea to prepare anyway. I'd rather you search for my parents."
"Of course. I am capable as both a butler and a demon."
"Search for your parents?" Ciel asks. "You don't want to come with us?"
Noah frowns. "If I hadn't already exhausted myself in looking for them, then what's the point of me summoning you? Go. Don't come back until you find them and bring them to me." Ciel is about to protest, but finds himself falling to one knee, not unlike the way he had when he first appeared before Noah.
"As you command."
When Ciel and Sebastian are outside, Sebastian turns to him. "Young Master, I do not advise you to speak against the one you are bound to. If you wish for him to do something, you must subtly manipulate—that is the only way a demon can get what he truly wants."
Ciel frowns in irritation. "Earlier, my body moved of its own accord…"
"It's nearly impossible for a demon to defy the one he is bound to."
After a moment's thought, Ciel's frown slowly grows into a smirk instead. "Of course. You would have left me otherwise."
"Of course not." Sebastian narrows his eyes, looking at Ciel as if he's the scum beneath his feet. "I would have done much more than just leave you." If Ciel's body isn't indifferent to temperature now, shivers might have run up his spine. Sebastian doesn't hesitate to say such words now that they're both demons—they may still have rank between them, but they are essentially the same. Nothing will come out of putting on a nice act for Ciel anymore.
If Ciel's morals were already twisted when he was human, then they're even worse now. He can hardly care that Sebastian is subject to an eternity of misfortune. "It's unfortunate that's not the case, isn't it?" He places his hands on his hips. "William and and Olivia Harper. Let's find them and get this over with."
Sebastian falls to one knee and bows his head. Ciel gains some sort of pleasure in knowing that he may not actually be doing it on his own accord. "Yes, my Lord."
—
Fatigue and exhaustion mean nothing to him now. As a demon, there is only one word that is crippling: hunger. Ciel need never sleep again, need never hydrate himself, need never sit down to rest his aching feet. All that matters is being able to consume human souls—that's all he needs to keep himself going.
He and Sebastian spend several hours in Her Majesty's home (having snuck in, of course), reading through file after file after file. There is mention of William Harper's family falling into deep debt, but it isn't enough information to give them any leads. They search until rays of sunlight begin to filter in through the curtains, the files and papers strewn all over the floor. If they don't leave soon, someone will come in and they'll be discovered.
"Young Master, I don't believe we will benefit from anything if we keep on looking here."
Sighing, Ciel stands up and stretches. "Agreed. Clean this mess up, Sebastian. We'll talk to the local debt collectors next."
"Certainly."
As a human, Ciel was fond of Sebastian, no matter how faint the inkling was. Being able to have someone to rely on, someone who would never let him down, was a luxury that not many others had. Even though Sebastian was bound to have his soul in the end, it's nearly impossible not to become attached to the person who wakes you up every morning, dresses you, bathes you, cooks for you, and puts you to bed. Sebastian had been the only true family Ciel ever had, complete with the dark ulterior motives and twisted insides.
After cleaning the room up, Sebastian scoops Ciel up in his arms the way he often does, and jumps out the window. They're casually strolling on rooftops and hopping from building to building when Ciel rests his head against the crook of Sebastian's neck, staring absently into the distance. "Sebastian. Stop. I'm tired."
Sebastian holds Ciel close. "That's a lie, Young Master. You cannot be tired." He stops anyway though, just holding him. Ciel looks down at the people milling through the streets.
Eternity will pass like this, huh? Hundreds and thousands of years, watching history shape the earth, watching wars spill blood on the ground, millions of lives coming and going, and he and Sebastian will still be here. Stagnant. Forever unchanging. The young master and his loyal butler.
Ciel closes his eyes, and breathes Sebastian in.
"Young Master…"
"Just a while, Sebastian. Are you really that incapable as a butler now?"
Sebastian's warmth. Sebastian's scent. They're the only thing Ciel knows now.
"Almost all demons lose their humanity after a certain amount of time has passed," Sebastian says, his breath puffing against Ciel's hair. It almost reminds him of his mother. "But you, Young Master…I think you'll be one of the few who keeps his."
Ciel laughs dryly. "Don't make jokes, Sebastian. It's unbecoming of you." He never had any humanity to begin with.
"I'm being entirely genuine."
He sighs. "If our contract went as planned, I wouldn't have to spend the rest of time listening to your insolent comments." Sebastian does not hesitate to remind him that it does not have to be as such, as long as Ciel commands so. Ciel smiles into Sebastian's skin. "Don't get your hopes up. Let's go—I want to taste my first soul." His tongue pokes out and runs over Sebastian's skin. It's salty. Tantalizing. And just a little bit like heartbreak.
—
As the previous Earl of Phantomhive and the Queen's loyal dog, it's difficult for Ciel to show his face around town. He waits with his arms crossed in an alleyway as Sebastian questions various debt collectors in the city, feeling that his life as a demon is not too different from his life as a human in this sense. It's just not his own revenge that he's seeking now.
Draw it out. Dangle it in front of Noah. Let his soul simmer in hatred, anger, and the desire for vengeance. Throw his parents to the ground in front of him, and while they beg for their lives, whisper sinister words in his ear, urging him to give the command to kill. Ciel salivates at the very thought, and although no one is around, he coughs into his hand in slight embarrassment.
Sebastian is quick to return, kneeling in front of Ciel. "I have gathered information that William and Olivia Harper have fled to one of the remote villages twenty miles south of London."
"Good. Take me there."
"As you wish."
Twenty miles is nothing for them. If two horses can pull a carriage at full speed, they can be even quicker. To Ciel, running almost feels like flying; the wind blowing through his hair, his body feeling weightless as each step takes him even further than the last. Such strength—he isn't sure if he'll be able to get used to such a high. Beside him, Sebastian runs at the same speed, the anchor to Ciel's feather of a life. He could probably go even faster.
The village they reach isn't unlike the many poor, scarce villages Ciel used to visit as the Earl of Phantomhive. Slightly better than the slums Noah is currently living in, the villagers are just waking up and carrying out their morning duties of feeding the chickens and hanging out wet laundry. Ciel's eyes lock onto the nearest woman who's collecting eggs from her chicken coop, and he heads over to her, steps quick and determined.
"Excuse me. I am looking for William and Olivia Harper."
The plump, motherly figure looks Ciel up and down, appearing surprised that she would even see someone dressed as expensively as him in a place like this. Ciel doesn't miss her eyes wandering up and down Sebastian as well. "William and Olivia Harper? I don't believe I know anyone by those names…"
"They would have moved here some time within the past few years," Sebastian supplies helpfully. "Do you know of anyone who fits that description?"
The woman thinks for a moment. "Ah! You mean the Hunters, not the Harpers, right? They did move here not too long ago, but poor Olivia, she…" She trails off, turning away to hide the beginning of her tears.
Ciel frowns. "Where do they live?" he demands.
"Just down the road—they have yellow flowers in their front lawn. You can't miss it."
Bowing, Sebastian says with his most gracious butler voice, "Thank you very much for your help." His hand rests at the small of Ciel's back as he guides him back towards the main road. "That was very forceful of you, Young Master," he comments in Ciel's ear. "Are you forgetting how frail humans are?"
Ciel frowns in annoyance. "You say that as though it matters to me." The frailty of humans was never more than a hindrance to him when he was alive. To see them break so easily—whether a shift in mentality, or burning flesh melting off the bones—made him sick to the stomach. He was subject to the same fragility himself, even though he did his best to ignore it; growing soft when Inspector Abberline fell dead at his feet, making an effort to sit through Elizabeth's humiliating requests just to make her smile—all of that only made him weaker in the end. He's stronger now. He's a demon, and he's destroyed that last human instinct in him—
He looks up at Sebastian, who is keeping his eyes on the road. His hand is still at Ciel's back, his touch gentle, but firm and steady in keeping him from growing astray.
No. He only keeps Sebastian for convenience. It would be a hassle to do all of this work himself. Ciel was an earl, born from noble blood—that hasn't changed now. It's only obvious that he would still have a butler to tend to his needs. That's all Sebastian is: a deserved convenience.
(Even though it does not quite feel that way.)
There is only one house with bright yellow flowers planted in the front lawn. Ciel kneels down before them, fingering the small, delicate petals, silky to the touch.
"Rapeseed," Sebastian tells him. "Hardly useful for anything—its damaging effects on both humans and livestock outweigh any possible health benefits it may have. There was an outbreak of disease in Spain several years ago due to the mass consumption of it." He pauses. "I was there. It was quite lovely."
"Ah." Ciel straightens up. "What a pitiful plant."
"That's quite human of you to think as such."
Ciel doesn't even bother to scold him for such a rude statement. Instead, he goes up to the front door and knocks loudly, three times. He hears the crashing of pots and pans inside, and it takes several minutes for the door to open. He's met with the face of a middle-aged man, wrinkles of the years gone past etched on his face.
"William Harper?" Ciel inquires. The man's eyes widen, and the door would have slammed in Ciel's face if he hadn't stuck a foot in the crack, a movement almost too quick for the human eye to catch. Ciel doesn't even flinch at the impact, and William, looking panicked and frightened, throws the door open and attempts to make a run for it. Sebastian catches him by the collar of his coat without even moving an inch.
"P-Please! I don't have the money—I'll pay it all back, I swear!"
"Are those words truthful, considering that they come from someone who even lied about his last name?" Ciel accuses, eyes flashing bright red in irritation. William pales significantly at the sight of this and swallows thickly. Ciel sighs. "Forget it. We're not here to collect your debts. Not of the monetary kind, anyway."
"Then who are you?"
"Ciel Phantomhive. I'm here to take you to your son. Where is your wife?"
"Olivia…" William, who had been struggling to escape Sebastian's grip until now, falls limp with his shoulders slumped. "Illness took her half a year ago. I am alone now."
Turning to Sebastian, Ciel asks, "Is the contract still in place if only one of them is alive?"
"Yes. You do everything to your ability, and let Noah decide if he wishes to alter the terms."
"What are you talking about?" Neither of them pay William any heed.
Ciel has to close his eyes for a moment to recover from a staggering moment of impatience. He's…actually looking forward to consuming Noah's soul. It eerily reminds him of the way Sebastian used to look at him for tiny, almost unnoticeable moments—dressing him after a bath, or putting him to bed. Ciel finally understands now. "Let's go, Sebastian. I'm getting hungry."
His butler's smile is dark and sinister. Ciel thinks it fits him much better than the bright smile he used to paste on. "Yes, my Lord."
—
Ciel feels the nervous throbbing of William Harper's soul all the way back to London. It's drenched thick in fear; a different flavor from Noah's soul, but perhaps every bit as enjoyable. Ciel doesn't doubt that he will attain a soul like this eventually.
The sun is high in the sky now, as it's nearing noon—it hasn't been twenty-four hours, and he's already completed half of his contract with Noah. The young man is in his pathetic excuse of a home when they return with his father in tow, and when Ciel enters first, he stands up, anxiety written all over his features. "You're back? Already?"
He turns to speak to Sebastian behind him. "Bring him in." Carrying William like a sack of potatoes over his shoulders, Sebastian sets the old man down on his feet in front of Noah. Ciel crosses his arms and steps back, watching the situation unravel in front of him. Sebastian stands loyally by his side.
"I've been searching for so long, and yet it takes you two less than a day…" Noah's voice is shaking. "Where's Mother?"
"Gone," William says, resigned. "We held a small funeral for her."
Noah looks his father up and down, taking in every single detail. "Look at you. I thought you'd at least be a little better off than me."
"We couldn't—there was no way we could have supported you. That's why we left you on your own—we believed that you would be able to make a better living for yourself than we ever could."
"I was sixteen!" Noah raises his voice for the first time. His eyes flash with anger. "I've never worked a day in my life—you and Mother spoiled me, letting me waste my youth away…how could you think that I could live like a man when you never raised me as one? But I don't even care about that. Do you want to know what happened to Abigail?"
"Abigail?" William's voice rises with a tone of surprise, and just a little bit of hope. "Are you in contact with her?"
Noah's features darken. "I would be if I could be in contact with the dead."
"The dead…?"
Ciel can literally feel the fluctuation of Noah's soul. He's having strong internal conflicts—the desire to embrace his father, the last of his blood, and the desire to see him bleeding out on the floor. Ciel frowns in concern. Noah cannot back out of their agreement now.
"Sebastian." His butler immediately kneels, lifting Ciel until he's sitting on his shoulders. Sebastian stands and Ciel rises to a new height, seeing the two humans down below, speaking about matters as trivial as the dead. The dead don't come back to life: that's a fact. There is no reason to mourn or shed tears over it—they only have to lift their heads and move on. And yet, Noah's angry tears over Abigail, and the despair painfully evident in William's face…
Sebastian steps forward, acting as Ciel's feet. One of Ciel's hands rests atop William's head, and the other sits lower, his fingers wrapping around what they can of his thick neck. He can feel the quickening pulse of blood underneath the skin.
"I do as you bid, Noah," he says, catching his master's attention. Noah's eyes dart up to Ciel—sparkling blue, a lighter shade than Ciel's, and potentially full of so much more life.
"I…"
Ciel's eyes burn a bright red. "You lost your future the moment you made your contract with me. Do not forget that." Underneath Noah's blonde bangs, the seal glows—the proof of both his absolute control over Ciel as a demon and the inevitability of his own death. "We had a deal, Noah. For your soul, I will kill your parents."
"Noah, just w-who is this kid…?" William is sweating profusely underneath Ciel's fingertips.
Noah's jaw is set in a grim line. "He's a demon. I sold my soul to him just to have you and Mother killed."
"But why would you—we're your parents!"
"It's because you're my parents! You didn't do your job right, and now Abigail…Abigail is…!" Both father and son are left speechless, and Ciel fights to hide his growing impatience, his fingers twitching at William's neck. He feels Sebastian's hand wrapping around his ankle—a reminder to keep his unnecessary emotions under control. His time will come. He just needs to wait.
Just a little more. The longer Noah's soul swims in such chaotic feelings, the more exquisite he will be. The results are all that matter.
"I'm sorry, Noah," William chokes out, all but sobbing. "Give me another chance—I'll do things right—"
Noah shakes his head. "It's too late now. I have nothing left to live for." He lifts his bangs and shows his father the seal branded into his skin, the single feather within the tangle of vines. It glows even brighter as Noah's resolve grows stronger, and Ciel feels his blood run quicker in his veins, hot and thick with anticipation.
"You just have to give the order, Noah. And I will do it."
So close. So close. He's dying to feel the snap of William's neck underneath his hands, to hear the last breath leave his shaking lips, to feel the tendrils of his life slipping away. Ciel wants it so badly that he's trembling. This bloodlust—has it always had it, or is it his instincts as a demon? He can't tell.
Cheeks still wet from tears, Noah grits his teeth together in determination. "Do it. Kill him."
Ciel's lips curl into a triumphant smirk. "As you command." With a flick of his wrists, William's neck gives under the pressure before the old man even has a chance to protest. The body crumbles to the floor, and Ciel breathes in shakily, smelling the thick, pungent odor of sweat, so satisfying and rewarding.
His first kill.
Sebastian lowers him back down to the floor, handling him like a child. And in a way, he is; Ciel was born into this life only recently, still not even knowing the taste of the souls that he will eventually tire of. Excited over such a stale scent. Underestimating his own strength and nearly flinging himself into a tree. It's then that Ciel decides, that perhaps for now, the life of a demon may prove to be entertaining for at least a little while.
The mark on the back of his hand burns on his skin—a sign that his end of the bargain has been fulfilled. He looks at Noah, who's staring at the corpse of his father. Ciel can't tell if it's victory or regret in his eyes.
He leans back against Sebastian's chest, deciding that this is a small luxury that he rightfully earned.
—
"Hey, Sebastian." The forest is quiet as they walk through it, the afternoon sun casting an ethereal glow through the leaves. Noah follows behind them, quiet, obeying. "What was your first soul like?"
Sebastian takes a moment to remember. "It was several centuries ago, I believe. She was a mother riddled with sickness who desired to see her daughter one last time." The butler smiles faintly in nostalgia. It's the first genuine smile Ciel has seen since…well, it may be the first genuine smile Ciel has ever seen at all. "Her soul was as common as they come, but at the time, there could not have been anything more euphoric. You never forget your first soul." He turns to say to Noah, "Aren't you glad? You get to be my young master's first. You will forever be remembered by the both of us."
"I'm honored," Noah replies, subdued. He does not sound very honored.
"Getting cold feet?" Ciel mocks. "It's too late now."
"I realize that, Ciel—you do not have to rub it in."
Stopping in his tracks, Ciel turns around and faces Noah, hands on his hips. "If you're going to leave this world, at least do it with an ounce of respect. You should see yourself, shaking in your shoes. You look pathetic." His features soften. "Do what I couldn't do." Noah's expression is asking him to explain, but instead, Ciel turns to Sebastian. "Carry me."
The rest of the trip is silent as they make their way to the place where Noah first summoned Ciel. Ciel's head rests against Sebastian's shoulder lazily, enjoying the way the rough fabric of his suit rubs against his cheek. Not entirely soft, but never failing to keep you warm—that is the very essence of Sebastian.
Once they reach the clearing, Ciel instructs Noah to sit at the base of a tree with his back against the trunk. Sebastian sets him to the ground, and sticks crunch underneath his feet as he walks over to Noah, not unlike the way a predator may approach its prey. Except it's not entirely like that—not really, anyway. Ciel blames it on the last shred of humanity in him, but he almost pities Noah.
He drops to his knees and crawls close to Noah, breathing in his indulgent scent. A hand reaches up and brushes the blonde hair away. In truth, Noah is a very handsome man—with a haircut, hot bath, and the right clothes, he could have had a very successful life with that face alone. Noah's bright blue eyes are glassy.
"Are you ready?" he asks, his voice quiet. Swallowing, Noah nods.
Ciel's eyes glow red on their own accord as he leans close enough to feel Noah's breath on his lips. He slowly sucks in a gulp of air, and like a vacuum, Noah's soul trails out of his mouth and into Ciel's. It's an easy, steady flow from one body to another. Noah's body convulses as he gasps, unable to breathe, but Ciel hardly even notices—he's too busy with the feeling of Noah's soul filling him, warming him—a taste so intoxicating that dull human flavors cannot even begin to describe it. He shudders as he continues to consume it, more and more, slow and steady and even, just like that—the way a human's life feebly blinks out of existence. Just like Sebastian described, it truly is euphoric.
When the last of Noah's soul has slipped down Ciel's throat, he loses strength in his limbs and collapses against Noah's shell of a corpse. He's gasping and shaking, blinded by the pure high that a single human soul has given him, barely registering Sebastion picking him up and cradling him against his chest.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" he murmurs, staring down at Ciel with unreadable eyes.
Ciel is unable to form a coherent response. He can feel Noah's soul coursing through his veins, like fire and ice and oceans crashing against steadfast mountains, and he manages to say between his heavy breaths, "I'm glad…that you're here with me."
The butler's face remains blank as he strokes Ciel's hair. "Perhaps one day, I will feel the same way."
Sebastian holds him, supporting this tiny little body, until Ciel falls asleep in his arms.
A/N: Brassica napus is the scientific name for rapeseed, which I only coincidentally realized how much it paralleled Ciel's and Sebastian's relationship. The way rapeseed was not useful in the least in the nineteenth century, and caused more harm than good, is exactly how Ciel and Sebastian are to each other—from how I see it, anyway.
I wish I could've had more development in their relationship, but it's difficult when I saw absolutely no intimate emotions between them in the anime to build off of. I'm glad I could make any plausible at all by the end. :D Please let me know if you think I could have done better, since I've never written for this fandom before!