Hi you guys! I was trying this chapter a bit differently...tell me if you prefer it from a strict Ciel-view for the main ages or if you would prefer it to be more general view of all the characters.
Twelve. Twelve years of existence, two years of having Sebastian around him, 10 years of having that torture, and 2 years of extracting revenge. It seemed so little to an adult, or maybe even to himself, but at the same time it was like he had been living for eternity. He hadn't been, of course, even his birth certificate would tell you the exact date he was born, a mere twelve years ago from the current day.
Ciel hated birthday parties. It was a well-known fact that he despised them, and yet Sebastian and the others, and mostly Lizze, would throw a party for him and force him to enjoy his birth surrounded by people he maybe just slightly cared about. Large cakes and stacks of specially cut out fruits were laid about, people were invited over, and the evening would go on without any form of hitch.
Of course it would go on without any hitch, Sebastian was there. Ciel couldn't help but wonder, what if Sebastian wasn't there? What if he hadn't somehow conjured up enough pain for a demon? What if he was still stuck in those cells? Would he be any different? Obviously so, but how would he be different? When he let his mind run, Ciel tended to give himself headaches; which he had managed to do already.
Sebastian walked over to him with a cup of milk laced with honey to ease the child, a small smirk gracing his face as he went to remove the rest of the party decorations. This was the first year that Ciel strongly refused a party, to the point of ordering Sebastian to take down any decorations put up and to cancel any invitations that were sent out. Lizzie, May Rin, Bard, Finny, and Tanaka were all a bit upset because of it, but he decided that it would end up being for the best.
It was for the best. That was probably what went through his head the most now between every mistake, every person arrested, every duty given to him by the queen. It was for the best. If he didn't do it, he wasn't doing the best, and that was not the way the Phantomhive household was going to look to outsiders who still thought a young boy couldn't successfully run a simple company.
Elizabeth didn't like how mature he had grown over the short period of time. Dolls were no longer an option, tea parties were no longer shrouded in pink, boat tours were no longer about finding the prettiest flowers. But he didn't like the way she stayed so young and innocent as she aged. She still didn't wear heels, which he was a bit aware that it was to make him look taller, which annoyed him.
She still had those horrible dolls that looked too much like them to be normal, she still wanted all of the pink, and the pretty flowers, and the tiny little treats shaped in innocent hearts that made her own flutter. Ciel was none of that, and he despised her being like that. He didn't despise Lizzie in general, he loved her more than she knew, except not in a romantic way. He despised the childishness.
Cousins, they were cousins. They weren't supposed to be married, it wasn't right; not to him. So he fought tooth and nail against marrying her. When Lizzie would happily say they were engaged, he would fight against being engaged and keep to himself when it hurt her that he wouldn't say they were. He knew in the end though, they wouldn't be marrying each other. He wouldn't let it happen.
He had six years for her to find someone else to love, for him to get rid of her idea of marrying him and having…last time she had blurted it, 3 children together. He wasn't going to allow her to throw her life away waiting when he knew sooner or later his contract would run out and he would 'run out' as well. Hopefully Sebastian would make it sound like an accident, though he was never sure how Sebastian would say he died.
Maybe he would say he gained an illness, maybe he would say he drown, maybe he would say he fell down the stairs backwards. The last one would obviously not be said, but it was just an idea that popped up into his head other than 'Oh, I ate his soul. I'm a demon, sorry.' Ciel was brought back to present day when a cake with twelve candles was placed in front of him and the lights were dimmed, the annoying "Happy Birthday" song being sung by Lizze, Bard, Finny, Mei Rin, and even others that seemed to have popped out of nowhere.
A frown was prominent on his face while he waited for the song to end, blowing out the candles as they wished and pretending to make a wish. He obviously did not, not believing that anything would happen if he did in fact make a 'wish' over something stupid. However when Lizze asked what he wished for, he smiled at her and put one finger over his lips. "If I told, it wouldn't come true, now would it?" He asked, the smile slowly disappearing.
The rest of his birthday went seemingly okay, nothing major happening other than having to open up some gifts and convince Lizze that he did not in fact need a new ring, and he liked the one he was wearing. She surprisingly took it okay, not questioning him too much or whining about it for too long. He supposed it was because of what previously happened to them, but who knew what went through the girl's head.
All in all, he sat through the party with a smile on his face sometimes and didn't really worry about it, twelve was the one age that he would do it for Lizzie. Other ages he wouldn't just smile and let the party happen, but this one year he would allow it to happen to him even when he absolutely despised them.