The wind racked the tent, making it crash and clang. The snow built up on the outside, slowly creating a wall of ice against the external sides of the protective fortress. The inside was getting colder and colder as the minutes passed. Ciel Phantomhive lay in his sleeping bag, shivering slightly. He had on two winter coats, mittens, a thick pair of fur-lined trousers, and snow boots, yet the air still chilled him right through to his bones.
Sebastian sat silently. He would have stood, but he was much too tall for the small tent. Awaiting any orders from his master, he sat very still, never moving. Sometimes he would risk a glance at Ciel, regretting the idea of camping out to catch an underworld murderer. His master would surely suffer from frostbite, and there was no possible way for him to start a fire in these conditions.
"Sebastian." The butler was startled, which very seldom happened. He gave his attention to the boy who had just said his name, and waited for his order. "I-I c-c-can't take this c-c-cold anymore… I'll c-c-catch a cold for sur-re." His chattering teeth broke up his sentences.
"Should we leave, master? I may stay here alone, if you wish, the cold does not bother me," he stated simply, but he would've much rather stayed with the young Earl.
"N-no. I order y-you to-o find a way to k-k-keep me warm," Ciel demanded, shutting his eyes. He clenched his hands together, trying to focus on the heat between them.
Sebastian went to work immediately. He attempted to scrape a few small branches together, trying to create enough friction to start a fire. He knew it wouldn't work. He did everything within his power: from attempting to build a wall around the tent to knitting a new coat, nothing worked, some unseen obstacle always got in the way. He knew of one method he hadn't tried yet. The thought made his stomach curl. He imagined how Ciel might respond: outraged, he assumed.
"Young master, I'm afraid we are left with only one option," Sebastian said to the boy as he began unbuttoning his coat.
"Sebastian, what in God's name do you think you're doing?" Ciel's solitary, unpatched eye was wide with surprise. The servant ignored him as he finished unclothing his upper half and proceeded to slide is half-naked body into the sleeping bag next to the surprised child. He zipped it up to its limit and then peered at Ciel to gauge his disapproval. Instead, he saw a fierce blush spread across the soft cheeks. The Earl was staring straight up at the ceiling of the tent, avoiding eye contact.
"Master…? Are you comfortable enough?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow. An amused smile played at the edge of his lips.
"Y-yes." Ciel's teeth were chattering less ferociously now.
Sebastian scooted closer to the small figure next to him and enveloped Ciel in his arms.
Ciel's shivering came to an abrupt halt. Whether it was from sufficient warmth or pure shock, Sebastian didn't know.
Within minutes, the master was asleep, and in his sleep, he cuddled into Sebastian's bare chest, mumbling something as always.
