Sunlight hit the window of the hospital room, rays illuminating Ciel's somber face. Sebastian gazed at him expectantly, waiting for his reaction. Ciel had been staring at nothing for the past ten minutes. Sebastian wasn't even sure Ciel had heard anything he had just said. He watched him for a moment longer, and finally, with a faint sigh, he turned his gaze to the window.

"Is it too bright in here, Ciel? I'll-I'll shut the curtains-"

Ciel grabbed his hand before Sebastian could stand up. His vaguely somber expression suddenly turned alarmed. He grasped Sebastian's hand tightly, eyes searching for, what? What are you looking for, Ciel? Who are you looking for? "What-what is it?"

"You remember her? Do you remember what my mother looked like?"

Sebastian stared at Ciel, still trying to figure out what was playing through his mind. "She was perfect." Sebastian smiled, and then quickly frowned. "I was so angry. I kept thinking, how could this perfect stranger die? How could this woman with a whole life ahead of her just die? How could she just leave her son behind-"

"And that's when it all began, the OCD, and the depression, right?" Ciel breathed. "That's when everything fell apart. Hannah and Claude, they abused you and hurt you, but you got through it. But my parent's deaths, that was the boiling point. That was when something inside of you just...broke..." Ciel trailed off, fading into silence. He grasped Sebastian's hand even tighter.

"That was the day we became connected." Sebastian smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" Ciel gazed at him confusedly.

"If that hadn't happened, you never would have fallen in love with me." Sebastian smiled wider.

"What makes you think I wouldn't love you?" Ciel lifted himself slightly off the bed, face level with Sebastian's. His confused expression dissipated, melting into a lovestruck smile. "I would have fallen for you no matter what happened." He kissed the tip of Sebastian's nose and fell back onto the bed, chest rising and falling rapidly. He clutched his stomach for a second, and closed his eyes in pain. "It's probably going to be a few days before I get out of here."

Sebastian nodded. "Are you okay? Not your stomach, wait, I mean, I hope your stomach is alright, but about me being involved in your parent's deaths-"

Ciel cut him off. "You weren't involved, Sebastian. It wasn't your fault, and besides, it doesn't matter. It happened when I was just a little kid. I hardly remember it anymore. I hardly even remember what they looked like." He frowned slightly, apparently struggling to remember. "I think you're right about my mother. She was perfect." He smiled. "I'm glad that the last person she saw was you. I'm glad that you were the person holding her, telling her that everything would be okay." He closed his eyes again, against the pillow. "You should go home, Sebastian. Clean yourself up, get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

How can I leave you now? After what happened yesterday? Sebastian brushed his fingertips over Ciel's eyelids, watching as his eyelashes fluttered, a serene expression on his face. Ciel's body relaxed as he forgot the pain in his stomach. Sebastian pulled his hand away and rested against the chair. "I'm not going anywhere either, Ciel. I-I'm going to stay by your side. We're going to walk out of this hospital together, all right?"

Ciel laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Sebastian found himself laughing along with Ciel.

"You. You've changed so much, Sebastian. You aren't awkward and shy anymore. You haven't even done anything remotely OCD today. You're laughing and smiling. You're not the same man I met in the bookshop, and I'm glad. I'm happy, Sebastian. I've never been happier. Sure, I'm in a hospital bed, and my stomach has never hurt more, but I'm happy."

I love you, Ciel Phantomhive. Sebastian was just about to say it, as Mey-Rin walked in, clutching a clipboard. "Can the doctor talk to Ciel now? I've given you guys like, twenty minutes." She blushed slightly. "Of course, I could give you more time." She winked.

"Could you give us one more minute, Nurse?" Ciel looked away from Mey-Rin's sickeningly fangirlish expression and focused on Sebastian, his smile still etched on his face, though a bit smaller. His eyes had a very serious look to them.

Mey-Rin nodded. "Okay, one more. Just one." She turned to leave. "Oh, by the way, you too are so damn cute I can barely stand it." She giggled and shut the door behind her.

What's wrong? Sebastian's heart skipped a few beats. Ten seconds ago you said you were happier than you had ever been. Despite the fact that you're in tremendous pain, despite the fact that the man you were once in love with killed himself, despite the fact that I was a part of the crash that killed your parents, despite everything that Alois put you through, you said you were happy. So why do I feel like something is wrong?

"The proprietor of the book shop, what is his name?"

Sebastian exhaled, not even aware that he had been holding his breath. He was relieved. Nothing is wrong. For once, nothing is wrong. Sebastian had become so used to things going wrong, so used to his world falling apart, that the fact that Ciel was asking about something so insignificant, so ordinary, was, in a way, strange. It seemed like every conversation they had ever shared revealed some kind of a secret, or a vulnerability, or a confession. Every conversation ended in tears or kissing. Sebastian realized that those days were over. He knew everything about Ciel. Ciel knew everything about him. There wasn't anything to cry about anymore. Ciel had saved him. And with a start, he realized, he had saved Ciel.

"Sebastian?" Ciel was still awaiting an answer.

Sebastian smiled. "Mr. Lau. His name is Lau. Why?"

Ciel nodded. "Does he have a first name? Lau is a last name."

"I'm sure he does, but I have no idea what it is. He's never told me." Sebastian looked at Ciel curiously. "What is this about?" Sebastian's heart skipped again. He knew that he didn't have anything to worry about. He knew that there was nothing wrong anymore, but he had become so used to disaster and failure that it was actually painful not to worry.

"He was the one who found me. He brought me to the hospital, I was blind though, so I never got to see his face. I want to thank him for saving me-"

"Ciel Phantomhive?"

Ciel and Sebastian looked up. The doctor had entered. Mey-Rin appeared behind him, shrugging helplessly. "I'm sorry, but you can't be in here anymore. Mr. Phantomhive has to rest. You can come back tomorrow." The doctor spoke with a slight Indian accent. He walked over to Ciel's bedside, pulled a paper out of his coat pocket, and began to read over it silently. Sebastian didn't move from his chair.

"I tried to give you more time," Mey-Rin whispered, somehow materializing right next to Sebastian. "Doctor Agni is a bitch." She cleared her throat as Doctor Agni gave her a rude look, narrowing his eyes.

"Please, Mr. Michaelis, if you could kindly leave. Mr. Phantomhive must rest. Like I said, please come back tomorrow."

"When can he go home?" Sebastian asked.

"He should stay here for at least three more days. Now please leave, we have tests to run. Mey-Rin, please escort Mr. Michaelis outside."

Sebastian touched Ciel's fingertips momentarily and pressed them to his lips. He gave Ciel a quick reassuring look, and followed Mey-Rin outside. I don't want to leave you, Ciel. I want to stay with you forever. He stared at the door to Ciel's room, Mey-Rin put a hand on his shoulder. "If only the Sebastian in the manga was as adorable as you." She laughed. "He's going to be alright you know," Mey-Rin said, her tone more serious. "You're really in love with him, aren't you?"

I love him more than anyone could possibly know. Sebastian nodded. "I guess I should go back to the flat. I'm still covered in blood, aren't I?"

Mey-Rin nodded. "Don't worry about Ciel, okay? I'll watch over him for you." She smiled. "I can't let one half of my OTP get hurt. Oh, that reminds me, did you order any manga yet, for your shop?"

Sebastian smiled. After everything that had happened lately, restocking the book shop was the last thing on his mind. "I'll do that tomorrow, just for you." He waved at Mey-Rin and strolled down the corridor, towards the elevator. He pressed the button for the lobby, and for once, his mind was clear. No worry, no feeling of despair, or impending doom. Just...calmness. It was nice, feeling calm. And for once, Sebastian knew it would last. This time, his happiness wasn't just temporary.

He rode a taxicab back to his flat, drifting off to sleep, dreaming of Ciel. There would be no more nightmares for Sebastian. There would be no more depression. There would be no more Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Even his social anxiety had seemed to be partially cured, though he knew that was something that would always stay with him. Sebastian woke up, just as the cab arrived in front of his building.

"Hey, mate, I noticed that you came from the hospital." The taxi driver popped his head out the window, looking at Sebastian. "There was some kid stabbed yesterday, do you happen to know anything about that?"

Sebastian's eyes widened. "Black hair and dark blue eyes?"

"Yeah, you know the bloke?"

"Yes, I do." Who is this?

"I drove him to the hospital yesterday, him and some sick looking fellow. I was bloody scared, mate, I thought the kid was going to die! He's alright though?"

Sebastian smiled. "He's going to be fine. And thank you, for taking him to the hospital. He's someone who I love very, very much. I don't know what I would do without him." It was true. Sebastian was sure that he would spiral right back into the depression that had trapped him for such a long time. If Ciel had died, well, Sebastian didn't want to think about that. "Thank you," he said again, sincerely. He glanced at the name tag on the driver's chest. Thank you, Baldroy.

Baldroy nodded. "Glad he's alright. Have a nice day, mate. Oh yeah, you're covered in blood, you know that right?"

"Yes, thank you. You have a nice day, too." Sebastian watched as the cab sped away and the driver half responsible for saving Ciel's life disappeared forever.

He looked up at sky, and for the first time in months, it wasn't dreary or grey. It was cloudless, blue, and sunny. Sebastian didn't even feel the chill in the air. Spring had come along with his happiness. He smiled again. I've been doing that a lot lately, haven't I? He smiled even wider and actually skipped up the steps to his flat. He closed the door only once.

"Sebastian, is he okay? Is the stabbed man okay?

Sebastian looked up, startled. Mr. Lau sat in the middle of the living room, his face emaciated and body slouched over. He was the picture of death. "I'm sorry, I would have stayed with him, I was just feeling too..." Lau trailed off, waving his arms. "I came here because I was too weak to make it back to my own flat."

"Mr. Lau, Ciel is fine. He's going to live. But how do you even know him? I haven't even seen you for months. The shop is going to be closed soon, Mr. Lau. We can't afford to keep it running anymore."

"Oh, of course." Lau said indifferently. "Well, I do plan on leaving it to you, Sebastian. You've taken such good care of it over the years. I'm sure you'll find a way to keep it running." He coughed. "I knew you were close to the stabbed man. I could tell he was staying alive just for you."

Sebastian looked at Lau, confused. "How could you tell?"

"His eyes were so sad and hopeful at the same time. Just like yours. Only a person who's spent time with you could achieve such a look." Lau smiled. "Well, I think I've rested quite enough. I'll go back to my own home."

Sebastian strolled across the living room, taking Lau's shoulder. "Ciel wants to thank you for saving him."

"When he gets released from the hospital he can come visit." Lau smiled. "I'm going to go home now, Sebastian. Clean that blood off of you. Please don't tell me where it came from." Lau walked almost at a lethargically slow pace to the door. Sebastian watched him leave, unaware he would never see him again.

A/N: Guess what? We've nearly reached the end. There are going to be two more chapters. And then Misery Loves Company will be over. I'm warning you now so that you don't freak out when it happens. Don't worry, I'll do my best to make it the most beautiful ending you've ever read.

Let's hit 200 reviews, okay? :)