They are on the run now. Especially their master. Running from his one and only home, and not knowing where he is heading. Is he plummeting to his doom? Or is it another trial on his way to his ultimate goal? Only time would show, but right now, his lord was completely lost and did not know how to go on another day. It was up to the servants, and most of all up to Sebastian, to help Ciel, their Ciel, carry on.
His world was in ruins, his brother came back but Ciel knew that his brother was not really his brother, and that is what hurt the most. He was so similar to the CIel he knew, to the Ciel he loved, and yet the essential piece that made him that very beloved brother of this was missing. What's more, that ghost of his brother was out to hunt him. He told him he loved him, and yet he wanted to kill him so he could go on. The younger brother was nothing but a spare. He was before, and despite all of his achievements, he continued being so. Just a spare… Fulfilling his duty, keeping the spot warm for the real Earl.
"Master, you need to eat." Mey-Rin said. She sat on a stool beside Ciel's bed. They were hiding out in an inn in some poor town on the other end of the country. Tanaka did not come with them. He stayed with the real Ciel, his loyalties lied with the first born, the rightful Earl. Ciel had been spending all day either in bed or absently staring out the window. His eyes were red and tired, and with dark circles underneath. The secret was out, now the servants all had an inkling of an idea that Sebastian wasn't human, but they weren't searching for confirmation, which made things easier though the tension was high.
Ciel would not eat anything. This was like when they were in Germany, but this time Ciel hadn't reverted back to his younger self. This time, he had just lost the will to go on. Sebastian was bitter. Seeing his master like this was no good for the contract, for his meal. However, he could not bring himself to do any harm to the boy, either to devour him or to motivate him. This… Was a completely different matter and the demon himself did not know why he was being kind. To him, it really did not matter if Ciel achieved his goal or not, he was in it just for the soul. And yet… For some reason…
One day, Snake, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard were out working errands in the town in exchange for help from the people. Be it in the form of money, food, belongings, medicine. Anything they could get right now was a treasure. Sebastian stayed behind with Ciel. He came into the room with a tray that had a cup of milk, a cup of tea, a bowl of porridge, and a small plate of sliced up apples on it. This was simiple compared to what he usually gave his master, but it was healthy and Sebastian cared about Ciel's health very much.
As always, the boy was laying on his side, looking exhausted and sickly and overall in great emotional pain. Sebastian placed the tray on the able softly and came up to his master. He looked at the boy in bed, then moved to softly sit down on the side and turned his torso to face Ciel. The boy opened his eyes a little, emotionlessly staring at the wall on the other side of the room in front of him. Sebastian placed a hand on the bed behind Ciel and leaned in. "Master, I brought breakfast. Please, do try to ate a bite." There was no response from Ciel. Sebastian inhaled with his nose a little and let out the breath softly. He leaned in to Ciel's ear and spoke in the kind of gentle tone he had never used before. As if he was sympathetic, compassionate, truly caring. "One bite… For me. I beg you, my lord." Ciel's mismatched eyes shifted sideways to look up at Sebastian. Their gazes met and the demon slowly stood up and walked off to then return with the tray. Ciel sat up in bed and Sebastian sat down at his side once more. He had the tray on his lap and gave Ciel the cup of milk first. The boy drank it slowly, then returned it to the butler.
Sebastian fed Ciel porridge and between spoons let him eat some of the apple. Ciel could feed himself quite easily, but right now he was in no state to care about anything. There was too much pain, and the demon himself was hurting to see his dear human in such agony. Managing to feed Ciel at least half of what Sebastian brought him was already an accomplishment and the demon internally sighed in relief. He let Ciel drink his tea while stepping aside to prepare fresh clothes and then bring in hot water. When Ciel was done, Sebastian led him by the hand out of bed and made to stand in a wooden washing basin. He took Ciel's clothes off and wet a cloth, then took to rubbing his master's body clean. "Forgive me, master, if I am rough." Sebastian apologized. He had to make quick work of cleaning Ciel like this because this inn was cold and his master was prone to sickness, especially vulnerable now due to his emotional and mental state. Ciel flinched a tiny bit at the word 'master'. Sebastian noticed, but he didn't give a sign of having done so. He cleaned Ciel quickly and thoroughly, then dried him and dressed him in simple clothes that would not rouse attention. That day, Ciel still did not wish to go outside even into the forest for a breather, but he did allow Sebastian to sit in bed with him, embrace him as he read to him a book the butler was able to borrow from a resident of the town for the purpose of reading to his master. Sebastian knew that something like this book would rouse Ciel and take his mind off of his pain and misery.
Already, they were making progress. In a matter of days, Sebastian saw that Ciel became more and more responsive, more capable of continuing to live. Knowing his master, he was certain that Ciel would come out of this state even stronger and ready to take on even his brother. Perhaps, Ciel first had to deal with his past, before he'd be able to continue on. And as he saw Ciel come back to life more and more, Sebastian couldn't help the bright feeling of happiness welling in hic chest. The servants were more than happy to see their master getting better. As long as their dear lord was well, they did not care for what Sebastian was, only for what kind of things he did.
