Hello…*sighs* My absence…*sighs* Well, Tumblr. Any of you that have it know how it can suck you up. I can be found, if you wish to nag, at Kuroshitsuji2539. That and…well, I have no reason to write anymore. Without a beta…*sighs* I'll need a new one…maybe. I don't know if I want a beta anymore…*shrugs* I'll decide eventually. Anyways, I want to assure you that I have not lost the desire to write. At all. I just have difficulty getting to my computer. It's kind of a laziness thing. If I can't get to the computer to write, at the exact moment I want to write, meh. So that's my life now. I'm not dead, and I still respond to PMs (I get emails ^^) So, there you have it!

…Also…I RP on Tumblr with a wonderful person by name of thosemichaelismen. His OC, Sterling Michaelis, is Sebastian's son and a butler-in-training at the Michaelis manor. For more info, check out his blog, but the point is I pretty much consider him a canon character, so he may pop up in future fics.

Ciel slowly blinked his eyes open. He was lying on a white canopy bed, and he took it in for a moment before turning his gaze sideways, where he saw a raven-haired man smiling at him.

"Good morning, Ciel," He said, "How did you sleep?" Ciel frowned, not remembering anything before waking up this morning.

"I slept well, I suppose. Who...who are you?" Sebastian smiled, expecting this.

"My name is Sebastian. I claimed your soul one night as you were traveling with your father. Do you remember?" Ciel blinked as a rush of memories came back to him. A storm, a demon...a kiss. Ciel looked at the demon.

"What are you going to do?" Sebastian smiled again. He'd planned this day out while Ciel was sleeping. "I'm going to take a nice stroll along the beach, to enjoy the warmth and look at flowers. Would you like to come along?" Ciel smiled and nodded.

xxx

"The weather is lovely, don't you think?" Sebastian said as they walked along the beach hand-in-hand. Ciel smiled and turned his face up to the sky, where sunshine poured down on his face. When Ciel looked down again, his face lit up.

"Look, flowers!" Following his gaze, Sebastian smiled as well.

"And what lovely flowers they are. Would you like to pick some as a keepsake?" Ciel nodded, and soon, the pair had made a lovely bouquet filled with reds, yellows, oranges, and deep violets. Ciel smiled as he held the flowers in his hands, and Sebastian tied the bouquet together with a golden ribbon to ensure no flowers would come loose.

The pair then sat on the warm sand, letting it spill between their toes and warm their feet. Soon, the sun began to set, and they sat and watched as the sky glowed with lovely splashes of orange, violet, pink, blue, and a whole other array of enchanting colors. They waited until the sun had fully set before they began their walk back home.

xxx

Once inside, Sebastian showed Ciel to a large washroom.

"You should take a bath before you go to bed, to get rid of any excess sand." Ciel nodded and stepped inside, closing the door. Sebastian stood at the door for a moment, then turned and began to walk towards his own bathroom. He had barely made it more than a couple of feet, however, when a thud and a grunt of pain resounded from the bathroom he had just left. Rushing back inside, Sebastian found Ciel sprawled inside the tub, groaning. He immediately went to the boy's side, gently lifting him from the tub.

"What happened?" He asked. Ciel moaned lowly before responding.

"Tripped over the side of the bathtub." Sebastian sighed, then sat the boy on a nearby stool while he turned to run the water. As he tested the water, however, he suddenly heard a yelp from the boy behind him. Turning around, Sebastian found Ciel curled into a ball, his face red. Sebastian blinked.

"What?" He asked. Ciel spluttered out a response.

"You...I...I-I-I'm not w-wearing anything!" Sebastian sighed.

"Be that as it may, I hardly think it's a good idea for you to bathe yourself. Besides, we're both men, so there's nothing to worry about. Come on, now, into the tub. I can add bubbles if that will make you feel better." He added with a grin. Ciel blushed and scowled.

"Bubbles...would be nice..." Sebastian smirked before turning around to add bubbles, until the entire surface of the water was covered in a thick foam. Once that was done, he began removing his own clothes. Ciel could only gape, his face going redder by the second as he turned away.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh...Wha-?" Sebastian thought this display of embarrassment was adorable.

"I need to take a bath as well. And, since I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself, this is the most efficient way of making sure we both get clean." Without giving the boy time to reply, he scooped Ciel up and stepped into the tub, sitting down with Ciel leaned against his chest.

Ciel struggled at first, but once he got over the shock, he decided that having Sebastian next to him was warm and comfortable. He jumped once when Sebastian began washing him, but eventually allowed him to continue. The feel of Sebastian running the washcloth over his arms and back was comforting, and he leaned back into Sebastian's chest and let himself relax. Soon enough, his consciousness left him and he was slumbering peacefully against Sebastian's warm, muscular chest.

Hmm...OOC. Damn. Oh, well.