When Ciel next woke up, the first thing he noticed was the dull ache throbbing in his head. He groggily rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced around the room, trying to remember what exactly had happened before he had fallen into a deep sleep. Memories of freezing cold rain and harsh winds came flooding back, causing Ciel to let out a frustrated sigh.
Yes, that was it. He had gone outside in harsh weather to purposefully fall ill, and he was certainly paying for it now. That would also explain the sweat clinging to his forehead and the slight burning in his throat.
As Ciel forced himself up into a sitting position, another memory came flooding back and caused a bright blush to paint his cheeks. The very last thing he remembered was nuzzling into Sebastian's chest, the butler's arms around him in a comforting embrace. But had that really happened or had it been a dream? Even if it had been a dream, that didn't explain the butler's absence in the room.
"Seb-" Ciel attempted to call out but was abruptly cut off by a harsh coughing fit. "Ah...damn it. Stupid butler…" He murmured quietly as he reached over towards the bedside table. It was then that he first noticed it. The jug of water he had been looking for was there just as he expected, but beside it was a large ornamental vase filled with a bouquet of white roses.
Ciel simply stared at the flowers in bewilderment. They definitely hadn't been on his bedside table before, and he couldn't think of any reason why they would be there now. Could Lizzie have visited while he was asleep and left them as a gift? No, she surely would have woken him up if that had been the case.
Before Ciel had a chance to ponder this any further, Sebastian had entered the room carrying a bowl of soup on a tray. "Ah, young master. I see you're finally awake." He commented, giving Ciel a warm smile.
"How long was I asleep for?" Ciel asked.
"A few hours, young master. But I suspected you would be feeling a little hungry by now." Sebastian explained, walking over to the side of the bed and placing the tray down on the bedside table. He then leaned over and propped up Ciel's pillows, before pouring him a glass of water from the jug and handing it to him.
Ciel couldn't help but stare back at his butler with a confused expression. Having the demon take care of him and do everything for him wasn't particularly unusual, as Sebastian made a point to try and be the perfect attentive butler at all times. What was unusual however was the devious smirk he wore the entire time.
Was the butler enjoying taking care of him? That didn't seem to make any sense though, considering Sebastian's earlier reaction to his master falling ill. Ciel decided not to question it, and instead focused his attention back to the bouquet of roses.
"What are the flowers for?" He asked, taking a small sip of water before passing the glass back.
"They are not for anything, young master. I believe you humans simply find them aesthetically pleasing." Sebastian offered as a response, his smirk widening.
Ciel let out a frustrated sigh, rolling his eyes at him. "You know what I mean! Why is there now a bouquet of flowers next to my bed?"
"I took them from the gardens earlier while you were sleeping. I thought it would be a nice sight for you to wake up to." Sebastian replied.
"Oh...Well, thank you?" Ciel murmured, a little unsure of what to think.
"A promised gift, a pleasing sight, for eyes of brightest blue. To make you smile, to aid your health, these flowers are for you." Sebastian said softly in a rather melodic way.
Ciel froze and gaped at his butler for a long moment, wondering what on earth had just happened. Was he singing? Had he thought of those words himself? But Ciel couldn't think of a reason why he would need to...unless this was another foolish idea of Soma's or Lizzie's to make the butler act nice.
Before the earl even had a chance to try and comprehend his servant's actions, Sebastian was leaning over him once more and placing the tray of soup in front of him as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The soup looked delicious as always; with a few freshly baked bread rolls on the side.
"I thought this would help you on your way to recovery, young master." Sebastian said with a smile. "Food is even better when it is homemade and comes from the heart. Isn't that something you humans say?"
Ciel flinched slightly at the butler's words. His behaviour seemed to be getting more unusual with every passing second. It was normal for his butler to cook for Ciel, so it seemed odd to suddenly point it out now. "I suppose we do...yes…" Ciel mumbled softly.
Sebastian straightened up and remained by his master's bedside, the same mischievous grin from before never leaving his face. "It's rather like having a mini picnic in bed, is it not?" He asked.
"You have a very odd idea of what a picnic is." Ciel remarked as he scooped up a spoonful of soup. Despite wanting to spend time with his butler before, he was now rather hoping Sebastian would just stop talking, or at the very least talk about something a little more normal.
Ciel's hand quivered briefly as he tried to eat, causing him to curse under his breath as the soup sloshed back into the bowl. In barely a second his butler was leaning in close, taking the spoon from him and holding it to his lips.
Ciel blushed slightly, allowing his butler to feed him in his weakened state. It reminded him of the time he had fallen ill after investigating the Noah's Ark Circus, and Sebastian had cared for him then. This was the sort of close interaction Ciel had been hoping for.
They remained like that for a good few minutes; Sebastian lightly blowing on the soup to cool it down and offering it to his master, before the butler finally broke the silence. "This is rather romantic isn't it?" He questioned with a soft chuckle.
Romantic?! Ciel thought, his eyes widening in surprise. Was his butler being serious?
"I...I suppose…" Ciel mumbled.
"Not unlike something out of a romance novel, wouldn't you say?"
Ciel immediately tensed up, everything instantly falling into place. His odd behaviour became clear in an instant. The flowers on the bedside table, the odd song, the talk of home made food and picnics; all of them had been ideas Ciel had jotted down on his list. Sebastian must have found it and worked out what his master had been up to.
"You saw it, didn't you?" Ciel growled.
"What exactly are you referring to, young master?" Sebastian asked.
"Don't play dumb with me! That list in my study! You saw it and you've been teasing me all this time!" Ciel snapped harshly. He grimaced at the discomfort in his throat but tried to ignore it.
"Yes, I did find the list. It was sticking out of your drawer when I went to clear away the tea from earlier, so it wasn't exactly hidden well if it was meant to be a secret." Sebastian explained.
Ciel dropped his head into his hands, refusing to look his butler in the eye. His cheeks were now turning dark pink from embarrassment.
"I also found the attempts at poems you left behind, and the crumpled roses." Sebastian added. When his master didn't reply, he reached out a gloved hand towards him and placed it on his shoulder. "Why did you-"
"Why do you think?!" Ciel shouted, angrily slapping his hand away.
Sebastian took a step back, withdrawing his hand with wide eyes.
"You...Why do you think I did all of that? You must have worked that out as well?" Ciel whimpered softly, still refusing to look up at the demon. "I've been trying so hard all this time to convey my feelings for you...these feelings I'm not even sure of myself. And every time something went wrong. Maybe I was a fool to ever try with this, but I just wanted you to understand…"
There was a long moment of silence between them, the seconds seeming to drag by painfully slow. Ciel was sure this was the most tense things had ever been between them. He felt overcome with dread and anxiety as he waited for his butler to say something.
"You could have simply said it in words." Sebastian answered at last.
Ciel slowly lifted his head up to stare at him in bewilderment. "As if it's that easy…" He sighed.
"Young master…" Sebastian exhaled, shaking his head softly as he moved to sit down on the side of the bed beside the small earl. "You humans seem to enjoy making everything unnecessarily complicated. I now know what you've been trying to tell me all this time, but you could have simply said it in words. I believe that would have been easier."
"It's not...It's not easy…" Ciel choked out.
"It is easy. Let me show you." Sebastian gently placed his finger under the earl's chin and tilted his head up, gazing into his mismatched eyes. "I love you too." With those words finally said he placed an affectionate kiss to his master's forehead.
Ciel felt like his heart might stop right at that very moment, too in shock to say the words back. But it didn't matter; at least for now. His butler knew.
A few moments later Sebastian pulled away, silence filling the room once more as the butler returned to feeding his sick master.
"...Do you mean it?" Ciel managed to ask nervously.
"Yes, my lord. I cannot lie to you." Sebastian spoke with a warm smile.
Ciel let out a relieved sigh, relaxing against his butler's side. Every shred of worry and fear and frustration he had felt over the last few days dissipated, leaving him with only a warm content feeling.
He didn't know those three words were so hard to say out loud, or why he had wasted so much time trying to convey his feelings to Sebastian through other means. He wasn't even sure how their relationship would change from this moment on. But they both knew now how the other felt, and that was all he had wanted.
## I finally managed to post the last chapter of this! I seriously thought I was never going to get around to finishing this, but here we are. Sorry if it's a massive disappointment. ##
