The entire story is a metaphor for the second season of Kuroshitsuji the anime.

Author's note: To fully appreciate this fiction you must imagine that the Sebastian and Claude presented are superdeformed, Ultra-Adorabibble, marshmallow-soft versions of themselves, as that is how I envisioned them when I wrote this. XD

-CaladriaHaru

MY Kitten…

"Oh, you made it!"

"Yes, thank you for inviting us. What a lovely home you have!"

"Really? Do you think? I just had the interior repainted to 'gore red' because 'blood red' was simply going out of fashion."

"Gorgeous dear, lovely! And is this your little boy?"

"Yes, my darling little Sebastian. And this is yours?"

"Claude is his name. Oh, what a fine little man Sebastian is. How old did you say he was?"

"Five-years-old. You said Claude was three, right?"

"That's right, what a sexy memory you have."

"Not half as sexy as you are my dear."

The two tall succubi giggle while below them, two small demon boys stare at each other across height and distance.

Sebastian stands scowling at the intruder in his home, large red eyes narrowed. He wears a little black shirt with a white ascot and a pair of black shorts. Brown leather garters hold black socks up to the knee. He is not wearing shoes because he is in the house and mummy doesn't like dirt. He has an armload of black kitten that dangles down his front. The kitten's yellow eyes blink.

Claude is round and soft like a pink and black marshmallow. His huge eyes, like lanterns, peak out from the bear hat on his head at the other boy who looks at him so coolly. He is in simple black footy pajamas with white pads on the bottom of his feet so he doesn't slip and fall because he is still not very good at walking. He holds his mummy's leg with one hand. The other hand trails an old, beat-up, droolled-upon stuffed spider plushy.

"Darling, I have been so anticipating our little 'play date' but are you sure it's okay to leave Claude…?"

"Oh, certainly. Sebastian is evil but he is responsible, isn't that right, dear?"

Sebastian answers woodenly, "Yes, mummy."

"See?"

"Oh my, if he wasn't a demon, I'd say he was a little angel!"

More giggles.

"Claude is in good hands. Now, Sebastian, play with Claude for a few hours while Mummy and Claude's mummy are busy, okay? Be sure to show him your toys."

Sebastian glares harder at Claude. Claude blinks his giant eyes. The kitten makes a tiny mew and Claude's eyes are drawn to its soft, sleek belly, its paws hanging over Sebastian's arms.

"Now, dear, it's all settled. Let's go make out for a few hours. What do you say to that?"

"Oh, darling, I thought you would never ask!"

The two long, stiletto-heeled legs join and walk off, their laughter leaving the two boys alone.

The mantle clock ticks. Yellow eyes regard red eyes; red eyes calculate yellow eyes. Sebastian's gaze slides to the toddler's peasant clothing, the beaten up stuffed animal, and then back to the yellow eyes.

"I have a kitten," he says loftily, his arms rising slightly to indicate the superior nature of his possession. The kitten mews again.

Claude is in love. He wants to pet that kitten very very badly. He has never met a boy his age or a kitten, and both are amazing. He toddles forward, arm outstretched…

Sebastian lets the smaller child get within a few inches and then turns away. He looks over his shoulder.

"Come on, baby. I suppose if I must, I will play with you but I don't like to share."

Claude's eyebrows draw together and he stumbles clumsily after Sebastian, tripping on his own chubby footied feet to land with a squeak on the carpet.

The older demon turns around and considers helping him up for a second, but then decides he doesn't want to let his kitten go. He waits as Claude gets back to his feet and follows after.

Sebastian has a chest of toys. Claude has one toy, the spider, and he loves it, but Sebastian has a CHEST of toys.

Sebastian pulls out a container of blocks and opens them, meticulously setting out each block in ROY G BIV order, smallest pieces to largest pieces. He sits Indian style, the kitten securely plopped in his lap, batting lightly at each piece that the boy handles.

Claude purses his lips. He crawls forward to pet the kitten but Sebastian pushes a yellow square block at him.

"You may have this one. And all of the yellow ones. I have decided I don't like them anymore, so you can have them." He pushes all of the yellow blocks to Claude. When he is satisfied he has done his job, he turns so that he is no longer facing Claude and plays with the red and blue and green blocks.

The kitten turns and lies on her back in Sebastian's lap, paws to the air, and yawns. She has tiny white teeth that stand out against her soft black kitten face. Sebastian is concentrating on his tower. He is very good at making towers, each block standing precisely, supporting the next.

In comparison, Claude's new yellow blocks are not interesting at all. He wants to touch that tower, maybe put Sebastian's fingers into his mouth to try since they are so perfectly manicured and they look almost magical as they collect each piece, turn it, and gently, so gently, set it atop the others.

"B…"

Sebastian pauses.

"B-bas-chan." Claude likes the fact that he made him stop.

"Bas-chan, Bas-chan," he repeats, happily, because now Sebastian has turned to look at him.

"It's Sebastian," he corrects in a princely voice. "Se…bas…tian."

Claude grins, his eyes shutting in upside-down crescent moons at the pure joy of being directly addressed by his companion.

"Tch," Sebastian picks up his kitten with both hands and gets up. He drapes her over his shoulder and she crawls around his neck like a sleek scarf as he leans back into his toy chest. "You want something else besides blocks?" He reaches in and brings out a toy car. It has a super glossy finish, real rubber wheels, and doors that open and close.

"This one," he indicates to the boy whose eyes sparkle intently at the jewel, "is mine. Not yours. Mine. They are all mine. But you can play with this one." He reaches into the toy chest and brings out an old, faded orange car. Frankly it looked like it had been set on fire once or twice.

"My perverted and ugly uncle gave this to me. I hate him and I hate it, but Mummy makes me keep it." Sebastian smiles, "But if I give it to you I could say it was a gift and then you could take it away from here, right, Claude?" He hands the scorched car to Claude who takes it somewhat reverently. It's not pretty, no, but another toy? He only has the one, and it hasn't been set on fire by someone as cool as Sebastian. The toddler looks at Sebastian as if he had just sprouted his adult horns right at that very moment.

"Do you like it?" Sebastian absently pets the scruff of the kitten who points her chin for the love.

Claude nods. He is going to play with this car with Sebastian. They can pretend there are roads around his magnificent block sculpture. How amazing! How wonderful! He is glad his mummy met that other succubus in the Single Demons chat room. His round cheeks pink and his bear hat slides back a little on his head as he reaches for the car. Bliss.

He takes the car down to the floor. It doesn't roll very well, and the paint has been mostly bubbled away (probably by intense heat) on the one side, but it's his now. He looks up, waiting for Sebastian to pick up the black car and play.

But Sebastian isn't holding a sleek black car. He isn't at the toy chest anymore. Claude sits up and blinks. Where….

Several feet away Sebastian is lying on the floor. His calves and socked feet dangle in the air back and forth, back and forth, arms in front, elbows forward, reading what looks like a colorful book. The black kitten is lying on Sebastian's head, sprawled out like a pancake sunning itself…if a pancake could sun itself. Sebastian's red eyes move back and forth in time with his legs. The kitten's small tail flicks and she purrs. They are the very picture of contented concentration.

Suddenly even the orange car, which moments ago had practically changed Claude's world, was now simply a charred husk, empty of worth and value. That kitten that lay on Sebastian's head like a second perch was clearly the most superior thing in the world if Sebastian kept it so close. And she looks unbelievably soft and friendly.

Flick, flick, flick goes her little tail like a black tongue. It almost seems to move with its own brain.

Claude looks from the kitten to Sebastian and back. The kitten is the key. If he has the kitten, then he can have the greatest thing here. And if he has the kitten, then Sebastian would have to play with him. But how can he do that? How can he get that kitten to come to him when Sebastian is so cool, so wonderful?

Sebastian turns a page. He doesn't look up. The kitten is flat and warm on his head. They are both quietly saying to Claude "go away and leave us alone; you are an intruder."

Claude swallows hard. They didn't ACTUALLY say that just now but he aches aches aches to get in the middle of them. He wants to have a kitten on his head. He wants Sebastian to read him that story he likes so much. He must make a plan.

The little kitten pokes her pink tongue out and licks a paw just for a second…

Ahh. Claude has an idea. He has one. He doesn't know if it will work though, but he can maybe try.

With some difficulty he gets to his feet. He has to find a certain thing in this house so it is like a treasure hunt. He hears Sebastian's voice behind him say, "Hey, baby, where are you going?" He wants to stop and turn around and bask in the attention, but he can't. It's not REAL attention and as soon as Claude stops then the other boy will ignore him again. He must do the plan to the end so he bites his lower lip and toddles out of the room as fast as he can.

"Hey. Hey!"

toddle toddle

Claude has to find the kitchen. That's where his special weapon will be. The kitchen.

"Claude~ where do you think you are going?"

The little demon pokes his head in a room. It's not a kitchen. He keeps going. He's top-heavy still, and his muscles aren't terribly strong, but he can find the kitchen. It will probably be the next room. He can't hear Sebastian's quiet feet behind him, but he can feel that he is being watched. That's okay too. He can deal with this as long as the other boy stays curious and just follows him and doesn't outright stop him.

Sebastian thinks I am just a baby, he thinks. Because I don't read and I don't want to talk in front of him…but I will make him think of me…

Claude goes through another door. Here it is! The kitchen! And there it is over there, the thing he needs. Now, he has to get the timing right…

He turns and sees Sebastian and his kitten both regarding him quizzically from the doorway.

"Are you hungry or something?" Sebastian asks, a little bit of annoyance in his voice.

Claude nods.

"Well, why didn't you just say you wanted a snack? Or can't you even do that much?" Sebastian's voice is not mean. Maybe it's a little…pitying? It almost sounds pitying. Oh, to live with that voice all the time would be such a nice thing. Maybe Mummy will stay for a couple of days? He wants to roll around on top of that voice and put it in his mouth too.

Claude almost feels bad about playing a trick on Sebastian since he is going right now to get behind a chair at the kitchen table and push it. The kitten leaps onto the seat of the chair and gets a little ride. The younger boy is in awe because Sebastian is very very strong. He pushes with his hands, and then leans into it from the side, and finally his back, and manages to get the chair to the counter so he can scramble on top of it. That must be where his mum keeps the snacks.

Sebastian is a fast scrambler! Claude is afraid there won't be enough time! He has to do the plan now while Sebastian is not paying attention. He quickly toddles to the refrigerator and tugs on the handle. It doesn't move at first. He tugs it again as hard as he can and it opens just as Sebastian says, "I'm getting you something. Just hold on."

Claude gazes inside the icebox. There is only one thing he wants and he hopes that Sebastian's Mummy is good enough to have it.

Oh yes. Yes, there it is.

"Claude?"

Sorry, sorry, Sebastian, but you won't play with me! So we will play MY game now.

"What are you-?"

Claude has to stand on his tip toes, but he can just reach it.

"N-no! Stop!"

CRASH!

The milk container falls to the floor and bursts at the top, milk pooling out onto the smooth floor.

The kitten is faster than Sebastian who suddenly understands. She is faster and she has no idea…so she jumps down from the chair and runs to the happy white liquid.

Claude looks up. He sees Sebastian scrambling off of the counter, but the kitten has taken the bait and she sticks her little pink tongue into the creamy accident.

"Claude! Don't you…don't you dare!"

But Claude is committed now. He snatches the kitten from her blissful treat. She only has time to blink before the little boy in the footy pajamas and bear hat is beating a hasty retreat.

"Come BACK here! You can't! Stop!"

Sebastian is fast. He is going to get to him first unless he can get to that other room.

Now even Sebastian's socked feet can be heard as he pounds across the kitchen linoleum and into the hall. Claude turns and sees him grab hold of the corner. Their eyes meet, enraged, passionate red eyes to cool, smiling yellow ones.

"I have a kitten," Claude says smugly, and then darts into the bathroom. He shuts the door and locks it just as Sebastian hits it full force.

The kitten mews in confusion as Claude slides down the back of the door, feeling the thump and thrum of Sebastian's kicks and the pounding of his small fists. Muffled yells.

"Hello, kitty," Claude smiles and pets that soft soft fur for the first time.

I got you, Sebastian. Let's play a new game together!

FIN