It was a quarter until midnight and the young earl sat exhaustively at his desk as he finished up the remaining bit of paperwork for the day.
A few minutes had passed as a clock ticked through the echoes of the room, and Ciel let out a sigh of relief once he finished filling out the last form; finally done with all of this tedious nonsense.
He stood from his seat and proceeded out of the study, strolling down the dimly-lit hallway as he stretched his arms out. He rubbed his visible eye as a yawn slipped past his pale lips, a wave of fatigue washing over his small frame.
At that moment, his dark butler appeared in front of him. A small smirk claimed the demon's lips as he spoke, "You had me worried, young master. I thought you'd never finish all of that paperwork."
The bluenette ignored Sebastian as he dropped his arm to his side; however, when he had opened his eyes, he paused. He narrowed his gaze into the shadows of the long corridor, almost as if he were looking for something.
"Is something wrong, my lord?" The butler asked in his usual velvety voice.
"I thought I saw something..." The boy replied slowly, eyes scanning the area ahead as he walked forward.
The raven butler offered his master a closed-eye smile, "I'm sure it was nothing. You're just tired; you should prepare for bed."
Ciel remained quiet for the slightest of moments, only to hear the vague sound of footsteps going forward. "I definitely heard something!" He huffed, briskly walking towards the direction the sound had come from in hopes to find the source.
Sebastian followed behind the bluenette as he spoke, "I didn't hear anything, my lord. You're just imagin-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, one of the vases on a nearby table fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces of glass that scattered all around the area.
"And I suppose I imagined that as well?" Ciel muttered sarcastically. He then stepped forward, kneeling down in front of the broken decoration. His gaze interlocked with another the moment he looked underneath the table the vase was previously placed atop.
It was an adorable cat with ebony fur, staring straight into the earl's cerulean hue. It didn't hesitate to come out from under the small table and stop at the boy's knee. It rested one of its paws atop his leg as it let out a soft meow.
Ciel slowly turned his head to his butler with a scowl on his porcelain face. "You brought a cat into my manor." He stated more so than questioned.
The demon smiled innocently, "It would appear she's taken a liking to you."
"Get rid of it." The boy muttered, standing up as he continued down the hallway.
Sebastian stalked behind the young earl with the cat affectionately held in his thin arms. "Young master, haven't you noticed?"
"Noticed what?" Ciel questioned with irritation in his voice, shooting a sharp glare at the demon.
"My precious Varia isn't like regular cats; she won't make your allergies act up." The butler spoke, "I know it's not my place as a servant to make requests like this, but with that fact in mind, would you allow me to keep her here in the manor?"
The bluenette narrowed his bicolored eyes at the feline before letting out a defeated sigh and looking away. "I don't give a damn so long as it doesn't get in the way of my work!"
A slight smirk pulled at the demon's lips as he spoke, "You won't have to worry about that, my lord."
Just then, the cat jumped out of the butler's hands and onto the floor. She stood at Ciel's feet, rubbing her head against his shin as she began purring.
"What's wrong with it? What's it doing?" The boy asked, gazing at the ebony feline with a cautious, confused expression.
"She wants you to pet her." The butler chuckled lightly. "I'm surprised, though... Varia rarely ever shows interest to anyone besides me."
The bluenette knelt down and began petting the cat with caution. "She won't attack me, right?"
"Of course not." The demon replied.
A small smile pulled at Ciel's lips as he started to pet the feline more affectionately. He was surprised yet relieved, to say the least. Usually he'd be in a sneezing fit if he stood within three meters of a cat; however, he was perfectly fine.
This did not go unnoticed by the butler as he then suggested, "Would it be alright for Varia to sleep in here with you tonight, my lord? There's stuff I must do around the manor, and I'm afraid she cannot sleep well when she's alone."
Ciel concealed his smile as he stopped petting the cat and stood up. He put on his most convincing uninterested expression, and folded his arms over his chest. "Don't push your luck, Sebastian. She's allowed to remain in the manor so long as she does not get in the way, but she is not under any circumstances allowed inside my room!"
The butler bowed before the earl with a sly grin that went undetected by the other. "My apologies, young master. I'll take her to my room at once."
"Good." Ciel grumbled, brows furrowing faintly as he then continued forward; brushing past the cat and heading towards his chambers to wait for Sebastian to assist in his retirement for the night.
Truth be told, Ciel had no idea why he even gave permission to that damned demon to keep the cat. But the manor seemed empty, and a feline running about was sure to create some liveliness, right? Really, what's the worst a cat could do? Though, it was rather odd that this particular feline did not affect his allergies...
"I'm overthinking this..." The earl sighed silently to himself; still awaiting the butler's return from putting away the kitten. "It's just a cat; nothing more, nothing less."
At least, that was what he had hoped was true...