Stars and Collapsars
Stars were such foolish things. They resided scattered across the sky, shining brightly, persistently, in a futile attempt to ward off the darkness. Humans would stare at them for hours, connecting them together with imaginary lines while telling silly little stories. They would study them, trying to find their place, either in the surface of their world, or in the vastness of the universe. Some placed all their hopes and dreams upon them, wishing that their deepest desires would come true, thinking themselves pure enough to be the one exception among countless others who did the exact same thing. Then there were those would simply enjoy looking at them, admiring them as their pale light twinkled fiercely. It was all so foolish, so frivolous; no matter how much those humans wished, no matter how mightily those stars burned, they would all, eventually, succumb to the darkness. Their precious shine would die out, either by reaching its natural end, or through the ferociousness of a collapsar. When that inevitable outcome finally arrived, few would notice. The shine would not be missed, being but just one less dot that littered the night sky. All those who sung praises to those celestial bodies would simply go on with their lives, far too preoccupied with their own fleeting existences, far too concerned about their own radiances, and the darkness that they themselves had to fight.
Like the stars, the humans were foolish in attempting such feat. Darkness existed before light, and it shall remain there long after it is gone. To go against this simple principal of nature – to try to burn radiantly for all their existence like the stars did– was to fight a losing battle.
The windows from the master bedroom at the Phantomhive's manor provided the perfect frame for those very same foolish stars. From it, all the northern constellations were visible, the splash of the Milky Way adding a streak of light blue to the near ebony canvas. They illuminated the English landscape with the help of the moon – which was cut into a slice so thin it resembled the grin of the Cheshire cat – leaving trees and hills bathed in their soft pale glow. Even the flowers, which had lost their color under the shade of the night, seemed to gain a fragile and yet eerie beauty, the monochromatic light creating both elegance and coldness despite the warmth of the summer.
It was a beautiful scenery; one that poets and painters alike would marvel at, reaching for their tools to replicate it in their craft. Even ordinary humans, with no talents or uniqueness, would be awed with the view the Young Master had at his disposal.
"Will you close that already?" an irritated voice called from behind him. "Unless you see some intruder outside, I see no reason to keep the curtains open this late into the evening."
"The night sky does not please you, my Lord?" despite his question, Sebastian proceeded to close the curtains. "I thought humans rather enjoyed stargazing. Isn't it a favorite pastime of your kind to wish upon them?"
"Wishing upon a star?" the Young Master scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Sebastian. I have long outgrown such childish superstitions. The stars may have their purpose, but whatever that may be, I'll not trust them with the fate of my goals."
A smirk graced Sebastian Michaelis' lips. Humans would be amazed at the sight visible from those windows. But Ciel Phantomhive was no ordinary human.
"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them," Sebastian said. He turned, seeing the boy sitting on his bed, his nightshirt neatly folded by his side. "Many humans believe that the stars dictate the future. Others, as you well know, say that they have powers of protection."
The Young Master raised his eyebrows, looking entirely unimpressed, "Are you telling me I'm supposed to listen to Bravat's words?"
"Do you not believe them, my Lord?"
The Young Master regarded him silently, watching as the perfect butler approached him. Without a word, Sebastian started to remove the young boy's clothing, starting with his jacket, vest, tie, and finally beginning to unbutton the shirt.
"I don't care about them enough, either to believe it or not. Whatever Bravat says, whatever those who flock around him believe, I do not need the assistance of a star."
"Oh? Is that so?" he asked. "I take it you really won't be making wishes, then."
"Even if I did, they could never grant me what I desire. They are too bright for that, and I do not trust the light. Neither does it trust me," then, the Young Master let out a small smirk as he looked at his perfect servant, slowly extending one leg in front of him, his foot pointed. "Besides, why would I need stars? I'm already being protected by a collapsar, aren't I?"
Sebastian chuckled. He knelt on the ground as he started to slowly undo the shoelace from his Young Master's extended leg. He pulled the shoe off his foot, their positions and actions a reverse from those of Cinderella and her prince charming. After the other shoe was removed, off came the stockings, followed by his trousers. The boy peered at him through his one visible eye, head tilted, lips now turned down in thoughtful and yet indifferent mask, studying the demon with far more attention than he would ever give any of the stars.
"Many would say that a collapsar can offer no protection, my lord," Sebastian reached for folded nightshirt before offering his Young Master a hand. The boy accepted it without a word, his bare feet quietly touching the floor. "They absorb light and destroy things, after all."
"Yes, they do," there was no need to prompt him to raise his arms. This was a dance they had both long mastered in their three years together, each movement timed perfectly with not a second wasted. "They are objects of darkness, after all. What else is there for darkness to do, other than to destroy things, and kill the lights that surround it?"
"You make it sound so ruthless, my Lord."
"Are my words a lie?"
"Not at all," Sebastian buttoned the large nightshirt. "The darkness truly knows no mercy. Not even the brightest light can win against it."
"Good thing I'm not a being of light, then," he paused, and that small, almost unnoticeable, yet teasing smirk return to his lips as Sebastian's hands reached behind his head. "I think a collapsar suits me far better."
The black eyepatch fell to the ground. Mismatched eyes stared into Sebastian's red demonic ones, holding their gaze, challenging him to refute his claim. The boy was so small for his age, his shoulders thin, his features far more delicate than that of a well fashioned porcelain doll. And yet, there was strength in those eyes; an unshakable pride and resolve, a confidence that could only come from those who had seen the depths of the abyss, who faced horrors and fears too maddening for words, and returned far more broken and twisted to ever again be touched by the light. It was the strength of someone who had been molded by hands crueler than those of a demon, who accepted their shattered selves and chose to walk forward with a single thought in mind. It was the look of someone who would willingly, and without hesitation, sacrifice anything for their objective… It was the look of someone who would not fight the losing battle against the darkness, but rather embrace the enemy with his whole being.
And just like the flowers in the garden outside, just like a moon flower that bloomed most gracefully under shade of the night, Ciel Phantomhive's beauty was a breathtaking sight. It was a beauty that Sebastian had never seen before, and one he doubted that it would ever exist anywhere else besides in his terribly foolish, yet horribly beloved Young Master.
With an ungloved and marked hand, the demon gently held his prey's chin, and then titled it at just the right angle. The boy did not waver, his eyes still locked with the beast who owned so much of him already. Sebastian's smirk widened, his pointed teeth peeking from beneath his upper lip.
Their lips touched gently for a mere fraction of a second, just enough to taste each other's flavors faintly, before they pulled apart. There was no blush, no embarrassment… The Young Master simply continued to hold his gaze.
"Indeed it does, Young Master," his voice contained only amusement. But just as he owned so much of the boy, the boy also owned far too much of him to not be able to read every hidden meaning behind his words. "Indeed it does."
Soooooo… I actually do have an excuse for this one. I'm writing another SebaCiel oneshot (longer than this), but I was having difficulty continuing from where I left off. So I decided to start a new scene differently and see if later I could merge the two documents together. This was supposed to be part of that other story, but as I was reaching the end I found it that it worked okay as a standalone piece, so I decided to just leave it. Not the best thing I've ever written, but it isn't the worst either, so… If you enjoyed it, please let me know!