STEPH:Hello :D. Thanks a lot for the reviews :)! Hope to hear moarr, as usual ^^! So sorry for the two...three? month later update:(.

I don't really know what excuse to make D:~

This. is. long. But please bear with me , it had to be done..mayne.

Please Read, enjoy and don't forget to leave a Review~:D! *love-you-guys*

BEFORE SMILES.

The teenager tossed around his bed, striving to keep his eyes remaining closed. The whole feat would have been much easier, definitely not needed if only someone wasn't standing at the edge of his bed on one of those few Saturdays he had off, announcing that it was already noon.

Really, who the hell hired an alarm?

"Ciel, it's already noon and it is quite beautiful outside." Sebastian said again with a further persuading ring to his voice, as he opened the curtains closest to his roommate's bed.

Ciel tossed once again to face away from the man without giving away a glint of his blue eyes. It didn't really matter if it was beautiful outside, after all Sebastian probably wasn't going to be home for the rest of the day. Moreover, he wished to hibernate for the day to gain enough energy to pull through yet another two week-without-a-day-off schedule, but that impression didn't seem to be getting through a particular individual's skull. The teen frowned, turning back to his previous position. Now he was just getting irritated…maybe waking up would have really been a great idea.

Sebastian smiled as he caught a glimpse of the light blush playing on the young man's cheeks and crawled into his bed, carefully lying beside him. He laid his head on Ciel's arm that was splayed on the bed, noticing as the teen's frown and blush became more evident.

"Too adorable." The professor mused almost to himself, finally relieving the younger man's arm from his weight much to Ciel's 'subconscious' relief. He sat up, resting his back against the headboard, before glancing at the teen again.

"Wake up, or I'll kiss you." Sebastian stated, raising a finger in front of Ciel's face and waving it disapprovingly. No more sleep for you, boy, it seemed to say on Sebastian's behalf to the now wide eyed, perfectly awake man.

Ciel sat up immediately after Sebastian's declaration sunk into his head, glaring at the man as effectively as he could afford to after being in bed for a little over fourteen hours. The thought of that was almost good enough to make him forget to yell at the older man…only almost.

"I stood up already! , so don't you dare…"he yelled halfway, yawning through the rest of his words. So he really was this dead-tired…good thing he didn't have work today, he wouldn't have showed up anyway. He turned back towards Sebastian, his tear-eyed look only encouraging the older man to take advantage of his current...helpless situation.

"It's too late, you lost your chances." The professor smirked, dragging the teen towards him by the collar of his shirt.

Ciel gasped as Sebastian pulled him further down once he was closer to him. "What the hell?" The teen cursed, as he finally gained his balance; his knees crouched on the bed, each hand resting on either of Sebastian's sides. He caught the sly smile on the professor's face as long fingers found their way nestling into his teal-blue hair. Ciel sighed heavily, looking straight at Sebastian.

"And you expect me to wonder why I didn't want to wake up this morning..."

Sebastian smirked knowingly, his fingers wavering briefly from the teen's hair to caress the side of his neck tenderly, earning a mild shiver from Ciel.

"Insert egoistical comeback 'here'".

The teen smiled lightly in response, rolling his eyes back to emphasize his view on the professor's so-called comeback. Though it had taken a little over a week to adjust to their new situation, he was bcoming less surprised that times like this which he shared with Sebastian didn't make him feel as tense as before, it was becoming rather calming to him. So whenever Sebastian pulled him closer like he was doing now, he knew he didn't need to yell or preferrably claw at him.

Ciel blushed as he felt Sebastian's lips make slight contact with his. He exhaled raggedly against the professor's lips, striving to make sure his gaze didn't falter from the older man's. Maybe calming wasn't exactly the word to use to express himself at the moment- he couldn't even afford to breathe properly with Sebastian's intent gaze on him and only him.

His eyes closed on their own accord as Sebastian's lips met his once again. Slow paced it went, as the older man's lips moved tenderly against his. The teen let out a low gasp, trying to ease his hands from gripping the sheets on the bed as he was seconds earlier, but it was almost impossible to do anything else with Sebastian this close.

...and his scent-his taste...

That slightest tinge of cinnamon he tasted every time they kissed he had come to like...a lot. It sometimes made him wonder if that justified his thoughts to taste more of him ,or maybe he was becoming just as perverse as Sebastian. But what could he say? It was only at this age that one could really overlook every mindless thought and decision as teenage curiosity...even though he never had to make such an excuse until he met Sebastian.

They both finally pulled away for the sake of air. Ciel remained unmoving, his teal-blue hair lightly caressing Sebastian's face. The teen blushed when he finally looked at the professor to find a gentle smile placed on his lips. Everything seemed so in place that it made it all ever-so unbelievable...and it hurt him to remember that there was sill that uncertainty he couldn't bring himself to shake off. He always tried to discard the thought of the intimacy that came with these little actions, but maybe this minute, returning the gesture wouldn't be so bad.

Ciel smiled, letting his face come in contact with the large hand reaching for him.

"Good morning." The professor said calmly, before kissing Ciel's forehead. The teen closed his eyes until the warm contact vanished, before slowly moving away from the bed.

"...Morning. Do you have work today?" he asked, lazily stretching once he was out of the bed.

"Yes, unfortunately. A private university plans on convincing me to become an official sponsor." Sebastian sighed, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it less messy.

Ciel's eyes widened slightly in excitement. "That's really something...but just make sure they don't trick you and drain your pocket, these sorts of organizations can be damn persistent." Ciel said, emphasizing his points with the counts of his fingers, which really didn't total up to the number of advices he gave just now when he thought about it...

The professor smiled, grabbing his towel and heading towards the teen.

"Of course. I'll try my best to be careful, just for you, baby." Sebastian smirked, stealing a quick kiss from a surprised Ciel. The younger man frowned, glaring at Sebastian.

"Jeez!, I could swear that 'boy' sounded amazing to me once you said that. Go take a shower already." the teen said, feigning a light shudder, before pushing an ever-smiling Sebastian by his back and shoving him into the bathroom.

"And be fast."

"You should join me." Sebastian said, ruffling the shorter man's silky, teal blue hair softly. Ciel blushed, breaking his gaze from those striking amber-red eyes and looking down at his feet instead.

"Shut-up and hurry, old geezer." he drawled, turning back towards the room once Sebastian quietly closed the door.

x * X * x

Ciel sighed, walking to the mirror that hung against the wall, separating both beds. "He sure does know how to piss people off." the teen muttered quietly. He glanced wearily at himself. He was tired...he looked tired, and he knew it wasn't just because he had ended up sleeping a bit less than he wanted to...

He sighed for the umpteenth time, moving to sit on the floor, and resting his back against the bed frames. He really hadn't given himself anytime to think about the entire situation he-they were in. It was now obvious to him that many underlying reasons and events over the past few months had brought about his...affection for the pervert. And though he definitely wasn't sure if he was in love with this man, he knew at least that he was contented every time Sebastian came back home, smiled at him, and even for the most part, teased him.

Ciel blushed, crossing his arms and resting them on his raised knees. Regardless of all these developments, Sebastian's decision would be all that mattered. It really could just be the way the professor was...playing expensive jokes on him, and expecting him to understand that it was exactly what the whole ordeal was.

A joke-

The teen smiled painfully, his eyes lowering against his will. This was not good...he could feel panic crawling against his skin even though he tried to avoid thinking of all the negative possibilities of the current situation. He always looked down at people who spoke of these feelings with only one opinion coating the tip of his tongue. Stupid.

And it was exactly the way he was feeling right now...

Ciel gasped lightly as he felt a few droplets of water fall against his neck and into his hair. He raised his head up slowly to find the source of those droplets looking at him with an expression that seemed to breed intense worry.

"Ciel...are you okay?" Sebastian asked softly, a mild crack managing to make a way through his voice, from the shock of seeing the young man uncharacteristically curled into himself in a panicked manner. He stooped low enough to be at the same height as the teen and face him squarely.

"I'm fine...just tired." He said quietly. He wanted to mean what he just said to Sebastian so bad-it was all he had wished for over the past two weeks. And here he found himself completely broken down, with the last person he wanted to see him in this state right in front of him.

The dark-haired man frowned lightly, moving closer to Ciel. The teen quickly pulled his gaze from him at the close proximity.

"You sitting curled into yourself like this is definitely not being 'just tired', Ciel." Sebastian stated calmly, raising his hands to brush the teen's hair, but stopping halfway and returning them to his sides hesitantly. He honestly wasn't sure what Ciel wanted right now, and it was as though he didn't seem to be willing to respond to him anytime soon.

Ciel raised his head enough to be able to see Sebastian's entire form to find him looking at him with a mixture of what he could make to be worry, confusion...and a hint of a pained look on his face. Regret? He parted his lips to say something to break the tense silence but stopped as his eyes finally caught Sebastian's again.

"Ciel..." the professor said, finally breaking the silence.

"What is this whole thing about?"

Sebastian felt half the bout of confusion slip away almost as quickly as it had come. If his train of thoughts were right, then maybe, Ciel was asking for a definite understanding of their relationship. But he still had to ask-

"What do you mean?"

Ciel frowned, feeling his frustration becoming visible on his face and straining on his voice already. How had everything gotten this bad? All his life, he had depended on logic to make all his decisions, never jumping into situations without a definite answer or great precaution at least, but right now, it seemed as though he had thrown all those principles away somehow, over the last three months. To think that he could have fallen so far down for such thin strings filled with uncertainties... impossibilities. He inhaled as calmly as he could afford to, before parting his lips once again to speak.

"Everything. You...and I. It's a joke right?" Ciel asked with a smile, which Sebastian could clearly see was void of any humor. He couldn't believe his actions had brought Ciel to this state, it was painful to see him so confused even as he waited expectantly for an answer that he probably didn't want to hear. Sebastian, for lack of much to do to comfort the teen further, finally sat, still facing him.

"Is that what you wish this to be?" he asked carefully.

"Of course not, you idiot! But it-it's hard... just when I feel I'm happy being around you, all this sentimental crap warps in my head and I get confused..." He stopped, as he felt a light blush playing on his cheeks at the mild confession, glancing the opposite direction from his previous 'interest' . The bedroom door. "But that's not the point here for me. I just want to know- Hey! why the hell are you smiling for-" Ciel said with as much as he could afford to ensure it came out as a growl once his eyes wandered back to Sebastian's face, feeling a mild burn of anger that the moron was smiling while he was here, trembling and trying to get some facts straight.

Sebastian realized exactly what the younger man was trying to say, and he couldn't remember feeling this overcome by happiness in a long while. He knelt in front of Ciel, cupping the teen's face in his hands.

"Ciel, if you feel that this all depends on my decision, then I'll let you in on a little secret;" he paused, a warm smile gracing his face as he saw the curiosity and excitement that seemed to push away the previous panic in those blue eyes. "It's been yours all along. I already made this decision some time ago, longer than you may want to believe given the circumstances, and it definitely will remain constant." Sebastian said, nodding lightly with his eyes still fixed on the teen, as though he was trying to transfer his sincerity and assurance to him. The teen stared back at him, lips slightly agape, and shock clearly evident in his expression. He couldn't bring himself to say anything sensible if he tried.

"Se-Sebastian..." Ciel muttered lamely.

"You finally called my name today, I guess we're making progress?" The professor smiled, caressing the teal-blue hair that curled against his fingers.

Ciel blushed, slowly bringing his legs to rest on the floor. Progress huh? These had to be the things he wanted to hear from Sebastian so badly, because he was sure he could feel himself getting calmer with almost everything he said. But regardless, all he wanted right now was assurance- Sebastian's assurance that these feelings were not a mistake...not some creation of a flimsy joke. Even though all what Sebastian just told him should have made him satisfied, there was still that fear, because he couldn't understand all this as easily as he probably was supposed to, because he wasn't used to this. He did not want to be a child and jump into the conclusions he wished for.

He exhaled, with a faint smile on his face as he looked up to Sebastian.

"Hopeless...I have never felt this hopeless in my entire life before. I don't think I really need all my memories to know that. Is absurd complication also part of this 'feelings package'?" Ciel said, his eyes showing mild humor in the situation despite his sincerity in those words. Sebastian couldn't help but smile too. He wanted to nod and say 'There will be a lot more absurdities coming with this package, trust me' but he didn't want to likely take both of them a step or two back.

He slipped a hand away from Ciel's face instead, resting it on his shoulder, before placing a soft kiss on the teen's lips. Sebastian pulled away slowly, knowing he was going to be meeting a bewildered expression in front of him.

"I love you, Ciel. And if you seem taken aback by this, then I'll say it again so you'll get used to it, because this is no joke." Sebastian said softly but firmly, caressing the teen's cheeks.

Ciel stared at him in pure shock, unable to make a thing of what he just heard for a few seconds. He had never expected Sebastian to say those words to him again, though he probably-most likely hoped he would. Now he realized that it was exactly what he had wanted to hear. The last and first time this man had said those words to him, he felt like he had been literally thrown into a bucketful of puzzles deemed unsolvable, and now here he was, absorbing everything Sebastian was saying...believing it without taking any caution, because he wanted to take another approach to understanding things.

And he wanted to hear Sebastian say those words once more, no matter how selfish of him it may seem. He brought his hand to rest atop Sebastian's which held his face.

"Say it again...please." Ciel breathed, his eyes hazy but relentlessly holding its gaze with Sebastian's.

The professor smiled, bending lower towards his ear to speak.

"I love you." he whispered sweetly, and the teen closed his eyes at the end of those words, as though hoping to hold on to them forever. He opened his eyes to give attention to Sebastian since it appeared he wanted to say something else.

"I don't expect to hear those same words from you anytime soon, but all I'll ask right now is for you to accept me. So what do you say?" He asked, moving back to look at Ciel, in anticipation for his response. The teen blushed, knowing he could not turn down such an incredible offer. He stretched his arms towards Sebastian, wrapping his fingers around the professor's neck, before pulling him down into a warm kiss. It was only fair that he gave Sebastian his first surprise for the day after all...

"You idiot." Ciel breathed as he broke from the short lip lock, finding the perplexed expression he was hoping for on the professor's face. He couldn't help but smile as he watched Sebastian trace a finger over his lips curiously, before looking back at him.

"I'll take that as a definite yes." Sebastian smirked, moving back to sit between the teen's parted legs. Ciel blushed, tapping his toes childishly on the carpet floor.

"My ass. You tell me where in all my statements I mentioned something so absurd. You stretched your luck too far by adding 'definite', sir. Tough luck." He shrugged.

"Thank you." Sebastian smiled, ruffling the teen's hair lightly, and enjoying the embarrassed expression he found on Ciel's face. The professor moved one leg from its previous position, stretching it against Ciel's leg instead.

"How about you get off my legs, Sebastian?"

"This makes us lovers."

"I don't remember ever signing such a contract."

"Oh yes, we did." Sebastian said with a knowing smirk that made Ciel shift uncomfortably for a second. What?

"..."

"You kissed me." The older man stated matter-of-factly, his smile unwavering from his face.

Ciel stared at Sebastian, completely at loss at first before it hit him. It was the first time he had kissed Sebastian. He couldn't supress the laugh that came after those two premises.

"Oh God!... That's the most childish thing I've heard! You better grow up, or I'll be dumping your sorry butt A.S.A.P." Ciel managed to say amid the breaks of his laughter. It had been long since he was able to laugh this way...way too long, and it felt refreshing to know that he still had it in him.

Sebastian's amusement in the whole discussion was apparent, since the man was also grinning, his hands splayed carelessly on the floor to support his weight once he thankfully retracted his leg back to himself. They basked in the comfortable silence that ensued after, and the older man gazed at Ciel, who seemed to be quietly contemplating something.

"So lovers it is?" Ciel said almost more to himself than to the man facing him, sitting upright as though they were supposed to come to a form of professional agreement. He half-hoped Sebastian wouldn't ask for the meaning behind him asking the question, because, he himself didn't really know. Maybe it was because he wanted to finalize their views on what exactly their relationship was, or he just wanted to see what it sounded like to call someone his lover...and somehow, that word sounded just right. Why?

It was probably more because the word 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend' made him cringe a little when he heard others say it in general. It really kind of left so much options for him to try out. But it seemed that Sebastian understood everything he was thinking more than he did, because that familiar, soft smile latched onto his face as he quietly whispered to him, with auburn-red eyes locked on his-

"Definitely. Definitely yes."

My sweet reviewers still out there :o?

Hopefully:).