A/N: This is sort of a filler chapter, but it's still full of fluff. :3 (There's a note at the end of the story, read it if you'd like.)
Warnings: Some mild language, if I recall correctly. c:
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji.
Point of View: Ciel Phantomhive
Chapter 8
What a surprise. Sebastian is sitting across from me, smirking.
The aroma of Earl Grey tea fills the room as we sip our tea, respectively. Whenever I take a sip, I can feel him watching me. But, as soon as I look up, he's gazing into his own teacup. When I catch him in the act, he doesn't seem to mind, instead he asks me a question and keeps staring at me.
"Is the tea to your liking?" Actually, I love Earl Grey tea. The flavor reminds me of the garden my family used to have. My mom and I would spend much of our time planting various plants. I always liked to tend to the roses, while my mom would trim the orange trees. Occasionally, my dad would step outside to see how we were doing and offer help.
The garden was always beautiful and filled to the brim with life; with the exception of winter. "It's acceptable." I need to stop having random memories pop into my head throughout the day.
"I'm honored." Is that sarcasm I detect? "There is something I would like to discuss with you, if that's alright." I don't like the sound of his voice as he says 'discuss.'
"Go ahead." After saying this, I place my cup on it's plate and my eyes meet Sebastian's.
He's thinking about something that I won't like; I can tell by his smirk and the look in his eyes. "It concerns the state of your current hygiene." My hygiene? I raise an eyebrow at his statement, as if allowing him to continue. "Ciel, you need a bath."
A bath. I can't take a bath, I hate water! No...I loathe the liquid. It's just the way it flows and comes into contact with my skin. I detest the feeling of it on me at any time. I am certainly not taking a bath. "No."
I can see him shift slightly in his seat, not expecting my response to be so blunt. "That was not a question." That doesn't make any difference. I'm not going anywhere near that dreadful water.
"I don't 'need' a bath. I'm not taking one." Sebastian glares at me for a moment, before standing up and walking over to me. As he does this, I stand up as well and slowly back away from him.
"Yes, you need a bath. You're filthy and I won't allow someone with such poor hygiene to reside here." Oh, so now he's telling me what to do? I'm not giving in to him, no matter what. "What is the problem with a bath?"
I stop walking backwards and look away, embarrassed with my fear. I don't have to tell him the truth; maybe I'll be able to lie this time and he won't detect it. "I don't have a problem...I just...don't want to take one, is all." Well, that wasn't too bad, but did he buy it?
"Why do you feel the need to lie to me?" Damnit. How did he know I was lying? Ugh. Well, I suppose letting him know one fear won't hurt, will it?
"I-I don't...like...water." I want to know what he's thinking, so I look up at him. When I do, I see him smirking at me. I think he's pondering something and I can only hope it doesn't involve me. Hope has never helped me before, why would it now?
"You need to take a bath, Ciel." He walks closer to me, making me start backing up again, until I hit a wall.
"I am not taking a bath." He can't make me take a bath...right?
Sebastian ends up a foot in front of me and stops walking. "I don't want to have to use force."
I'm not going to give in to his threats. "That's not necessary, since I'm not taking a bath." I smirk at my own statement, knowing he will soon give up on the subject.
He narrows his eyes a slight amount and takes a hold of my wrist as he forces me out of the room. I can't remove his hand, so I have no choice, but to follow him down the hallway. "Where are we going?" I really hope he's not going where I think he is.
"The bathroom."
"W-Why?" His statement makes my movements to gain freedom frantic, but I still can't escape from his death-grip.
"I believe you already are aware of the answer. You are to take a bath." He's not going to budge on this, is he? He's so stubborn. Once he's located the room, we walk (I'm forcibly dragged) inside and he closes the door, locking it with a key. Sebastian releases my wrist and walks over to the bathtub, turning the faucets until the former is full of hot water.
I stand as far away from the water as possible, crossing my arms against my chest in a rebellious manner. Sure I'm filthy, but, isn't there another way to change that? Other than a bath? Once he's done filling the tub, he stands up straight and smirks at me, making me inch even further away from the tub. I'm not sure I can back up anymore, since my feet hit the corner of the room.
Sebastian starts to walk closer to me and has right his hand behind his back. What is he holding? My arms unfold and I press myself to the wall as much as I can, with wide eyes. When he stops directly in front of me, he tilts his head to the side and gives off a smile. "Ready?" No.
I shake my head violently and I feel like the wall is going to fall over if I lean against it anymore. His smile fades and he brings his right hand to the forefront, so I can see it. He's holding a red bottle with a picture of a paw-print and a cat on it. Said bottle has a sprayer screwed onto the top. I don't understand what that is and I can tell he sees my confusion. "It contains water." Oh, no. "It won't be necessary, as long as you comply, however." There it is again: his smirk.
Taking a moment to think about my options, my eyes shift from the tub full of water to the bottle full of water over and over again. Sebastian doesn't have much patience, so he asks, "Are you willing to take a bath?" I don't answer, instead my eyes reach their maximum size as I see his right hand raise the bottle up.
Spritz Spritz
"NYAH!" That idiot sprayed me! My arms are now covering my face, bracing myself for more of that vile liquid, but he stops spraying me. I slowly remove my arms and open my eyes to see Sebastian with an amused look on his face. "What the hell, Sebastian!" I frantically try to wipe away any water touching my skin as I say this.
"My apologies, but I did inform you I would use force if necessary." The sarcasm is oozing from his words as he speaks.
I'm not taking anymore chances. Before he has a chance to spray me once more, I dart to the other side of the room, as far away from Sebastian as I possibly can be, considering I can't leave. He doesn't say anything, but he slowly starts walking over to me, causing me to shrink into another corner. "Ciel." He sounds as if he's trying to cover his amusement with fake anger.
Sebastian slowly makes his way over to where I am, but I skillfully dodge his cornering maneuver by running on all fours to another corner of the room. He turns his head and watches me run away, eventually deciding to follow me. I reach the spot where he first sprayed me and quickly realize I shouldn't have run this way.
The water on the tiled floor causes me to slip and fall through the air, face-first. I tightly close my eyes and wait for the hard floor to come in contact with my body, but all I feel are warm arms wrapped around me. He caught me? No...no this isn't good. I can't run away now!
As I start to panic, my breathing becomes shallow and I start squirming to get out of Sebastian's hold. Then, I feel a tingling sensation on my head and ears. What is that? Both of his arms are around me, so he can't be petting me again.
"It's only water; it won't bite, I promise." Sebastian's head is nestled in between my ears, with his cheek rubbing against one of them. As I realize this, my cheeks start to burn up and I try even harder to escape his grasp. Doesn't he care how dirty his face is going to be? Soon, I find myself unable to fight as I melt into his touch, actually leaning backwards into his warmth. Once again, my chest starts to rumble and each breath I take lets out a noise of vibration.
My senses start to fade away and I become barely aware of the world around me. I'm not even completely aware of my purring at this point. A few things are brought to my attention, however, when I don't feel the wet tile on my feet. I also notice how I feel air drifting past me, as if I'm moving. But, I'm not walking.
Eventually I feel the tile again and Sebastian removes his head, but instead, he uses his hand to scratch the base of my ear. "Nya..." Did I just say that? I can't even remember my words. Then, I feel cold. Suddenly, I don't feel the tile or the tingling in my ears anymore, but I notice Sebastian's hands holding me up by my waist. Why is he...? Wait a second.
My foot feels strange...like it's hitting something, but I can still move it. This sensation starts to rise, until it reaches my neck, when my senses start to return. I quickly open my eyes, realizing I'm in the tub. Before I have any time to react, a gooey and cold substance is placed on my head, along with two hands. This makes my vibrating chest return; with a vengeance.
My eyes close once more and relax into Sebastian's hands, as he works the shampoo into my hair. If he's saying anything, I can't hear him over my purrs. Then I feel one hand leave and warm fluid drench my head, forcing the shampoo to escape. The remaining hand doesn't leave, instead it moves to my ear and scratches. Then, I can barely make out the feel of a cloth scrubbing my back. This scrubbing continues for, what seems like hours, until I no longer feel any hands.
That's when I hear a velvety voice. It sounds like it's trying to gain my attention. "...iel?" I desperately try to find my way back to my senses and I lazily open my eyes. "Ciel?" Sebastian is kneeling next to me, looking straight into my eyes. This makes me bolt upright and look around me, having regained my senses.
When I look down, I notice I'm sitting in water. Water. My eyes, once again, widen and I frantically try to scramble my way out of the tub. I hear a chuckle from Sebastian, but he doesn't try to stop me. I finally escape the tub full of murky water to find Sebastian, handing me a towel. Once I snatch it out of his hands, I wrap it around my shoulders and use my hands to hold the two ends together.
"Y-You tricked me." Either this towel is over-sized or I am undersized, since it covers me from my shoulders to my ankles.
My statement receives a light chuckle and a reply from Sebastian. "I did say you were to take a bath today, did I not?" I snarl at him, noticing the fact that he knew I was unaware of my surroundings when he undressed me and placed me in the tub. Not to mention the time he spent washing me whilst I was incoherent. "Now, please wait here while I gather some clothing for you."
I don't even nod when he says this, since I'm fuming with anger and don't want to speak to him for the time being. I sense his amusement when I remain mute, but he quickly unlocks the door and leaves, closing it again behind him.
The moment the door shuts, I use this opportunity to find a mirror. Once I locate one, I slowly walk over to it, not wanting to slip again. As I stand before the full-length mirror, I can't believe my eyes. My appearance is so...clean. Not a spot of dirt or dust is present. My reflection brings back memories of myself as a child, but I turn my head and ignore them. As I try to change my thoughts, I remember Sebastian, manipulating me to bathe.
These thoughts make me flustered, but, then I look at the mirror once more and sigh. I am clean, though.
End Note: So, I'm going to hold a contest (sort of) that starts the day I upload this chapter and ends the day I upload the next. A new Kuro character will be entering in the next update.
Summary of Contest: Whoever can guess the new character that I bring into the story first, will be mentioned in an author's note in chapter 9. In addition: If someone wins, I'll add an additional 1,000 words to the next chapter! :3 (My chapters are in the 2,000's range.)
Sum up of the Summary: Who will the next addition to my story be? You only get one guess, though. Gooo! c:
