Edit: Someone told me this chapter glitched... I apologise for any inconvenience, it should be fixed now.
A/N: Sorry for the long update... it's been like what, 100 years? I'm soooo sorry I got sick with a swollen throat and as soon as I was better (which took a week) I immediately started getting coughs and runny noses so throughout this whole time I've been trying to sleep most of the time, so fanfiction didn't really cross my mind until afterwards. To make things worse, I haven't written past this chapter so everything else from now on is -practically improvised. Again, sorry for being sick and sorry for the potential delay for the next chapter :(
"Young master, it's time to wake up." Ciel slowly opened his eyes drowsily and for once, was not surprised to see his butler beside him. He closed his eyes again and lazily snuggled against his butler, stifling a yawn.
"I'm still sleepy."
"Please bear with it; there is quite a lot of work to do today." After a short silence, Ciel sighed, then reluctantly sat up. Sebastian got off the bed and went to get his clothes for the day, his morning tea and fresh bandages. "After breakfast I have some business to attend to outside of the mansion… If that's okay with the young master." He said as he dressed Ciel.
"Do whatever you want. Just-" He suddenly cut himself off, then quickly went back to drinking his tea.
"Just?"
"N-never mind." Sebastian stood up straight, then bowed slightly. Just don't be gone for too long.
"I will be back before 6pm. Please do take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help from the other servants if you have trouble eating with an injured arm."
"You-!"
"Bard. Meirin. Finny." Sebastian clapped his hands together as the three house servants. "While I'm gone, please try to leave young master alone as much as possible."
"I-is he sick again?" Meirin asked nervously. Sebastian smiled, turning in her direction.
"No, I am just doing my job as a butler."
"…? Okay?"
"Please do not worry, I will be back before his dinner."
"Have a nice trip! Take care!"
After breakfast, Ciel locked himself away in his study to sort out the thousands of letters and invitations he had gotten in the past few days as soon as Sebastian had left.
"How boring…" He muttered to himself as he threw away a letter from Viscount Druitt. Of course, he would never admit to himself that he was lonely. Bard, Meirin, Finny and Tanaka are all in this mansion with me. Of course I'm not lonely. He tossed away a love letter from Alois, then looked up at the clock only to click his tongue when he saw that it was still only 11am. Damn, I'm hungry. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to go find some snacks to eat. He stood up and snuck into the kitchen, surprised to see that Bard wasn't around experimenting with firearms. Ciel decided to be grateful that Bard wasn't around to see him snooping around the kitchen and focused on his mission: To find a snack. And eat it.
Fulfilling the mission was far easier than he had originally thought. In the centre of the kitchen table was a plate supporting a small pavlova covered in an assortment of fruits and whipped cream and accompanied by a shiny fork. Ciel cautiously approached the tempting dessert and noticed a small piece of paper beside the plate.
I thought you would eventually come and find something to eat. -Sebastian
"Arrogant bastard." Ciel muttered to himself. He picked up the plate and returned to his study, also quickly checking the clock on the way. I'm not lonely at all. Just seven more hours. I'll be fine.
His study seemed unusually quiet. Every few moments he expected the door to open and his butler to enter the room and ask him about the state of his arm.
Suddenly Ciel shook his head and glared at the letter he was writing. Focus, goddamnit! He found himself looking at the clock over and over again ever few minutes. At this rate, poor Lizzy would never receive the letter from him she had been waiting for. Six hours. Ciel's head snapped around when the door slowly creaked open.
"Y-young master?" It was Meirin, much to Ciel's disappointment.
"What is it? Knock before you enter."
"S-sorry! It's almost time for lunch, so…" After a short silence, Meirin hurriedly bowed and shut the door.
"…"
Lunch was a quiet event. Bard had tried his best to make some kind of alien soup without burning it, and the result was passable. Meirin and Finny had returned to their chores, leaving Ciel alone to eat. To his own relief, it wasn't too hard to hold a spoon in his left hand.
"Umm… Young master, Sebastian-san told me to give this to you after lunch." Bard presented a letter to him.
"Okay." With that, Bard left and Ciel was alone again. After opening the letter and reading its contents, Ciel made a sound of annoyance and dropped the letter on the table and returned to his study.
-A while later-
"… I'm tired…" Ciel absent-mindedly checked the time. Just four hours to go. Maybe I should take a nap… but my bedroom is so far away… Without really realising it, his eyes slowly began to droop and he leaned back against his chair, drifting off to sleep.
What is this? I'm dreaming again. Ciel opened his eyes again to see that he was in the middle of a dream. He was in a cage, but there was nobody around. His hands and legs were chained loosely to a nail in the ground, allowing him to wander around the perimeter. Ciel walked to the edge of the cage and looked out to see the sacrificial platform where he had first summoned and contracted with Sebastian. There was nobody to be seen. Where is everybody? Not even the masked people are around. With every passing minute, Ciel became more and more restless and anxious, pacing around in the deathly silence. Isn't anybody around here? Are you just going to leave me here in this cage? Locked up? He turned around and suddenly the true form of his butler appeared in front of him outside the cage. A demon.
"Sebastian!" He reached forward towards the shadow-engulfed figure, but it soundlessly disappeared as soon as he was within reach. "Sebastian…" When Ciel turned around again the masked people were suddenly there whispering among themselves and watching him with interest. Sebastian was right outside his cage. The demon slowly extended its hand towards him, but disappeared again as soon as Ciel reached out for it.
"Stop it…" The boy's voice shook as he turned around and saw Sebastian on the opposite side of the cage with its open hand inviting him to approach. "Stop playing games, Sebastian! Don't leave me alone in here! Don't disappear…" The demon's mouth opened and formed words, but Ciel could not hear anything. Sebastian reached out and tilted up his chin, and all of a sudden he could hear everything.
"Wake up, young master." His vision blurred, and at the same moment the masked people disappeared as he felt himself being woken up.
"Young master." When he opened his eyes again Sebastian was staring at him.
"Sebastian…?"
"Young master, I would like to make the point that sleeping with your face on the desk is not very attractive behaviour from an earl." Ciel stared back at him. "… It seems that you have need of a cup of tea to wake up properly?"
"No. Wait." He sat up slowly, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath.
"I have returned. Did you miss me?" He asked in a teasing voice.
"Not really." Ciel lied, lifting his head to look up at his butler. Sebastian chuckled.
"Is that so? If that is the case, I will choose not to point out the fact that you have been crying and saying my name in your sleep long before you were awake as well as tightly holding my hand upon my return."
"W-was I?" Shit, what the hell? Ciel quickly let go of Sebastian's hand, aware that his own hand had been sweating bullets and wiped his wet eyes. He watched in embarrassment as Sebastian calmly removed his glove and folded it neatly before carefully storing it away in one of his pockets.
"Why the bitter look, young master?" Ciel quickly racked through his brain to think of something to say instead of why were you gone for so long? Or something else that he would regret saying later.
"…Today's lunch was disgusting." Sebastian let out a chuckle.
"Was Bard's cooking unsatisfactory?"
"Compared to yours. Also, what was with that letter? 'Don't get too lonely'? Do you think I'm some kid that needs attention like Sohma?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Sebastian smiled and gently pulled Ciel out of his chair into an embrace, completely catching him off guard. "See? Your whole body relaxes when I do this."
"!" Ciel's face immediately turned red. It was true; his whole body went limp when Sebastian's arms were around him. He watched as Sebastian pulled off his other glove with his teeth and dropped it lightly on the study desk.
"I shall ask again, and please, do tell me the truth." He lifted up one of Ciel's hands by the fingertips. "Did you miss me at all during my absence?"
"Like hell I did!" Ciel pulled his hand away. "Let me go!"
"Young master." Unfazed, Sebastian lifted Ciel's chin up and leaned down so that they were face to face. "Please."
"I already told you!"
"Then say it." He daringly leaned down even further, eyes flashing. "Tell me that you didn't miss me at all."
"I…" Shit. "I…" With another smile, Sebastian leaned down even further than that.
Ciel hardly noticed when his lips softly pressed against his own.
A/N: Well anyways, I hope this chapter is satisfactory. My self esteem is pretty low right now so like yeah. I'm thinking of finishing this story in about 1 or 2 chapters, but since I changed the story, everything beyond this chapter is improvised. So like yeah. I'm going to go eat some food now. Cya next chapter~~ -SeaweedNeko