Sebastian Michaelis had been different ever since his master, Ciel Phantomhive, had been unwillingly turned into a demon three years ago. Sebastian had lost his playful all-knowing smirk and had been replaced with a blank, impassive expression that left the young Master feeling hollow.

As always, the demon butler followed the young Lord's every order perfectly but he lacked his usual annoying enthusiasm. His eyes lost that amused twinkle, his voice lost that irritating teasing tone, a tone the young demon would give anything to hear again, and when the butler prepared the master for bed, he was careful to touch the young one as little as possible.

As soon as the master was ready for bed, Sebastian would leave without saying a word; not even his usual 'Goodnight, my Lord' that he had bade the young master every night when the young on had been mortal. Ciel refused to shed so much as a tear but, as stubborn as he was, he couldn't help the constant ache in his chest that throbbed with every move he made, with every breath he took and with every beat of his breaking heart. . .

"Master, are you listening?" Sebastian snapped and the young master unconsciously flinched, an act the butler paid no mind to.

Ah, anger. The only emotion that Ciel ever heard from his butler anymore.

"Sorry." Ciel said quietly looking at his hands. "You were saying, Sebastian?"

Sebastian let out an impatient sigh. They were in the master's study where the boy spent most of his time trying with all his might to stay out of the elder demon's way when he wasn't being forced to attend numerous balls and parties. "We must move on from this town, my Lord, before they notice you haven't aged." the butler said with his teeth slightly clenched, truing to contain his hatred and anger. "I will pack your things. . ."

"No." the young demon interrupted.

"No?" surprise. There was an emotion that hadn't been heard for a long while.

"I will pack my own things." The boy said firmly as he stood.

The elder demon watched the younger with hard, chilling eyes as he walked to the door. "My Lord, I am perfectly capable. . ."

"I don't doubt your capability, Sebastian." Ciel interrupted coolly and then he left the room, leaving behind a very confused demon.

The boy made his way to his room where he did indeed pack away his own things.

It wasn't hard, really. He just had to fold his clothes and lay them down flat in his suitcase before adding his few pairs of footwear and one or two books. He didn't have many belongings since he had been turned into a demon and had left the comforts of his own mansion.

At the time, he hadn't minded leaving behind all that he knew for a life he had been brutally forced into. He still had his dignity, he still had his pride and he still had Sebastian.

Or so he had thought.

Ciel's hands balled into fists as his eyes blurred with the ears he refused to shed. He ripped off his eye patch and moved to the window where he could see the bare trees that stood outside.

Winter was closing in and it was getting darker quicker. In only a few weeks, it would be the young one's birthday and what a miserable, sour sixteen it would be.

Ciel was exhausted; tired from harbouring his emotional pain, tired of hiding how he felt from the one who he knew hated him most. So he got himself ready for bed, wishing only for oblivion. He crawled under the duvet and the sheets before allowing sleep to take him.

Sebastian, remembering it was far passed the young master's bedtime, quickly made his way to the young demon's bedroom. He knocked softly and entered only to find the young one curled up in bed, like a child, with his back to the door, shaking. At first, Sebastian thought the young one was just cold but, when he got to the other side of the bed, he soon found silent tears streaking the boy's face.

"Bocchan?" Sebastian breathed his eyes wide with shock at seeing the child's tears. The young one gasped softly in his sleep as if the sound of Sebastian's voice caused him sudden physical pain. Unable to stomach the young demon's tears, Sebastian gently shook the young master awake.

The young demon jerked awake and sat up quickly. "W-what is it? What happened?" the smaller male demanded, understandably expecting the worse.

"You were having a nightmare, my Lord." Sebastian said coldly.

Hesitantly, Ciel touched just his eyes and found the tears he had been shedding whiles asleep. "You can go, Sebastian. I'm fine." he said but his voice shook and broke on the last word. Sebastian didn't move, couldn't move. "I told you to leave." Ciel whispered but was somehow able to make it sound harsh and demanding. "Now go and go quickly. You don't need to see this." Confused, Sebastian hastily left but as soon as he closed the plain wooden door, the soft, muffled sobs of a crying child could be heard from the other side.

For a moment, just a moment, Sebastian considered going back in to comfort the boy, to hold him until the tears subsided but then he remembered that he hated the child he had been bound to forever. The child should be suffering as he was.

But, then . . . why did the thought of the young master's suffering disgust him so?

Yep, another one XD

Love y'all

Your little English Secret

S