Chapter 10 - EDITED!

Waring! - Cursing!

(Sebastian's POV)

God, how I hate history...

I placed my head on the notebook in which I was writing, barely registering something about the Anglo-Saxons scrawled across the page. My history teacher was a complete bitch; she'd fuss if an essay was even a line too short. It pissed me off. I scribbled one last sentence and closed the notebook in exhaustion, hopeless to absorb what the teacher was saying and reluctant to do any more work than absolutely necessary; I still had to do my math, physics, and biology homework. Shit. When I was about to pull the physics textbook out, I saw my phone flash a blue color. I sighed; it was probably Ron again.

"Hello?"

"Sebastian?"

"Yes, it's me. Who's speaking?"

"Ciel."

My heart suddenly started beating a thousand miles per hour. Ciel? My Ciel?

"Hello? Are you there?" an anxious voice asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm here."

"Okay, well, I thought... I-I just wanted to than-thank you f-for today..."

His voice was shaking – I thought it was just from embarrassment.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ciel."

He was silent for a while.

"...Ciel?"

There was another beat of silence before he answered.

"Are you free at the moment?"

My legs felt like they were about to fall off.

I was running for what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only a couple of minutes. I arrived in the park where Ciel told me to meet him. I saw a tiny figure slowly swinging itself on a swing, its feet not touching the ground. It had to be Ciel. I slowed my pace as I approached him, and he raised his head when he heard my footsteps.

"Hey," I greeted.

He lowered his head and said something that sounded like, "Hi."

I quirked an eyebrow.

"...Ciel? Is something wrong?"

"Not really," he muttered.

"Then why are you being so quiet?"

"It's nothing, really," he raised his head and smiled at me.

Fake.

"Tell me what's wrong, Ciel."

In less then a fraction of a second, he was in my arms, his head buried in my chest. I was shocked at first, but I gave in, and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. I wasn't really sure how to react, at first, so I just said what immediately came to mind.

"It's gonna be alright," I offered lamely.

"No, it's not gonna be alright," he whispered bitterly.

"It will be, once you tell me what happened."

He was silent for a moment.

"My aunt brought her new boyfriend over. I hate it...I hate him."

I did it without thinking. I lifted him in my arms, so his head would be resting on my shoulder and slowly walked out of playground's boundaries.

"Se-Sebastian?" he whispered shakily. "Where are we going?"

"You're spending the night with me tonight. My father is away anyway, so there's no problem."

"N-no, I ca-can't..."

"Of course you can. After all, do you expect me to leave such an adorable boy on his own when he's so clearly upset and in need of someone to talk to?" I turned my head slightly so that our noses were touching.

Ciel blushed and buried his face into my neck.

"...Sebastian?" he whispered after a while.

"Yes, Ciel?"

"I just... I just wanted to say... thank you..." he placed his thin arms around my neck and held on tightly.

"The pleasure is all mine...Ciel..."

By the time we arrived home, Ciel was already in a dazed, sleep-like state. I laid him tenderly on my bed and covered his tiny form with a comforter, but when I turned to leave, I felt the smallest amount of pressure on my sleeve.

"C-could you stay here...until I fall asleep...?" Ciel whispered. I smiled endearingly down at him.

"Of course," I responded, and after a moment of hesitation, I bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight."

He blushed, but didn't say anything. I sat down beside him and gently stroked his midnight blue locks. I don't know why, but there was something about our earlier encounter that now made the protective feeling I already harbored towards Ciel shift into overdrive.

After about half an hour, he was soundly asleep, but I still didn't want to leave his side. Then, he suddenly shifted and reached out, taking my hand within his own. His already content expression morphed into a more relaxed, more peaceful state, and I smiled softly, kissing him on the forehead once more.

"I'll protect you no matter what, Ciel," I whispered into his tiny ear.

And, in a voice quieter than a whisper, I heard, "Thank you."

(Ciel's POV)

The sun's rays hit my face and burned through my eyelids, making me stir from my sleep and blearily open my eyes. It took me a moment to register my surroundings, and when I looked around, I saw Sebastian sleeping beside me, sitting uncomfortably on the floor. I felt sorry for him. I gently lifted the comforter from my body and crawled towards him.

"Sebastian?" I whispered into his ear. "...Sebastian? Wake up!"

Suddenly, his eyes snapped opened and he grabbed me by my forearms, pulling me down from the bed straight into his arms. It felt remarkably good, having him so close to me. It was a feeling that I hadn't experienced for several years... Well, twoyears to be exact.*

"Good morning, Ciel," he cooed and kissed my nose. I turned my face away to hide the blush staining my cheeks.

"Are you hungry?" he asked offhandedly.

I was about to deny it, but my stomach answered him instead with an embarrassing grumbling noise. He chuckled innocuously.

"Wait a second," he removed me from his lap and left the room, presumably going to the kitchen.

Wait. I was sitting on his lap? Oh God.

After about five minutes, I stood up and went to find him. He was, as expected, in the kitchen, rummaging through the various drawers and shelves.

"Do you need any help?" I asked, and he noticeably flinched, turning to me with wide eyes.

"Oh, God, Ciel, you scared me," he sighed as I folded my arms. "But to answer your question – no, I don't need your help. There is a minor problem, however. It seems that we don't really have anything to eat... except for tea."

I sighed audibly. "You really are hopeless, aren't you?"

I opened the refrigerator. Inside was a container of yogurt, a carton of milk, and some butter.

"If you have some flour and baking powder, I can make scones."

"You can cook?" he asked in surprise.

"Well... not really..." I mumbled. "I'm afraid that scones, scrambled eggs, and tea are the only things I am able to prepare adequately."**

He laughed and I gladly joined him. I felt so... happy when I was with him.

After less than twenty minutes, the scones were already in the oven.

"I hope I didn't mix anything up," I commented.

"I'm sure they'll be fantastic," he said and lightly pecked me on the cheek.

"Geez, what's wrong with you?" I was trying to hide the fact that his kiss made my heart race.

"Didn't you know that depending on where I place it, a kiss means different things?" he asked teasingly.

"N-no..." Why was I stuttering? Maybe it was because he was so close to me.

"Well, a kiss on the forehead means 'I care for you,' a kiss on the nose means 'You're cute,' a kiss on the cheek means 'I want to be with you forever'..." he trailed off.

"Wha-what about a kiss on the lips?"

"It means..." he leaned closer to me. "...I love you..."

I could only gasp in surprise.

Sebastian was just kissing me...on the lips.

To clear up:

* - Reference to Ciel's and Alan's relationship

** - I saw a picture saying "If you don't know how to cook, you'll never be a good uke." I think Sebastian thinks the other way