Title: Heat

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters except for the unknown ones.

Warning: This story deals with gender bender and is slightly au, possibly even ooc for some of the characters.

Pairing: Claude x Sebastian

Chapter 26.

A few of the demon servants in the kitchen were watching the human boy as he ate, though they were also careful to continue doing their jobs. It was lucky, actually, that they'd even had food here that a human could eat; human visitors were extremely rare. The most intelligent one had deduced that their Master must have known that a human was coming; it was inconceivable that it was just a coincidence that food for a human had been brought and prepared here when humans hadn't been here for longer than most of them could remember.

Ciel Phantomhive finished up his meat and vegetables, leaving the bowl completely empty. It had been a big surprise to him that demons could cook food that humans would like, let alone that it would taste so good. Even though the servants in here were watching him, even as they pretended not to be doing so, he had enjoyed the meal. Having satisfied his hunger, though, Ciel now wanted to go see Sebastian and make sure he was being taken care of.

The problem with that was quite simple; the dark-haired teenager did not know how to get back to the room where Sebastian had been taken by that Demon Lord and Claude Faustus. Debating inwardly, he looked at the demon nearest to him. "Excuse me," he said, making sure to be polite and courteous. After all, this was not his estate and more importantly, he'd seen what demons could do and didn't want to get on their bad side. And, first and foremost in Ciel's mind, if he did anything to anger Sebastian's Demon Master, he might be sent away from Sebastian forever.

The demon that had been spoken to bristled slightly, feeling insulted at being talked to by such a lesser being than he himself was. Humans had no business being here in the demon world; they were frail, overly emotional, and while some aspired to do great things, most were completely stupid and highly unoriginal. About to say something to that effect, he was silenced by a motion from the alert, more intelligent demon who had moved to stand next to him rather quickly.

"He's one of our Master's guests, so be polite," the other demon informed his counterpart rather sharply under his breath; he could have gotten them all in trouble. Even though their Master would not allow them to be mistreated in any way, if any of them ever insulted a guest without justifiable cause, they would be disciplined for it. The worst thing they had to fear here, at least, was being fired from their job; there were demon lords out there who would kill at such a transgression.

"May I help you?" The demon moved to where the blue-eyed child could see him clearly, blocking the sight of the actual demon the human had spoken to. He set his broom down, leaning it against the counter so it was out of the way.

"I would like to go find Sebastian now, but I don't know where his room is from here. Would you please show me the way back?" Ciel requested, standing up from where he'd been sitting, an earnest look upon his young face.

Puzzled at the name Sebastian, the demon blinked, glancing at the others before back at the boy again. "I'm afraid I don't who Sebastian is; that's not a name I recognize. Might there be another name he uses here?"

Ciel thought for a few moments, before remembering that the Demon Lord Lucifer had called Sebastian by what he'd thought was the demon's last name- Michaelis. "Um… Michaelis?" he offered, hoping he was right.

"Oh, Michaelis; yes, I know where his room is," Ronan replied, bowing slightly. "Please follow me and I will take you there…" Leading the way out of the kitchen, he set a moderate pace, allowing the human to keep up with him.

The halls, while not particularly winding and confusing, were numerous, and if the demon hadn't showed Ciel the way, there was no way he would have found it without hours of searching. Within a few minutes, however, Ciel found himself standing in front of the room Sebastian had been carried into, unconscious and bleeding.

Biting his lower lip, Ciel looked around. The demon who'd brought him here had already left, no doubt returning to his job. Unfortunately, the teenager was a little uncertain about entering the room when he wasn't certain if Sebastian had been fully treated yet or not. He didn't want to interrupt if they weren't done, but no one was here that he could ask.

While he'd been eating, Grell and Undertaker had apparently decided to go somewhere else. Standing close to the door, Ciel cocked his head, not hearing any sounds. Debating for a moment, he slowly reached out and opened the door, but doing so very slowly just enough so he could see inside. What he saw made him stop moving, his eyes widening slightly.

From where Ciel stood, he could clearly see two figures entwined together upon the bed; Sebastian was in Claude's arms, still looking tired. Color was back in his cheeks, though, and he was awake; his crimson eyes were gazing directly into the golden orbs of the glasses-wearing demon that held him, a soft look upon his face, though concern could also be seen.

Taking in a deep breath, Ciel's lips remained parted when he saw their lips press together in a kiss. Shock radiated from the human, though he pulled the door closed, making sure to do so silently so they didn't realize that they were being watched. Truth be told, Ciel didn't even know what to do or think right now.

He sat in the chair vacated by Grell, his blue eyes gazing directly at the floor. He'd never expected this turn of events; that Sebastian would ever be in a relationship with someone. It wasn't that he was jealous, because Ciel had never seen Sebastian in a romantic way. Rather, the demon made Ciel remember his father at times.

The problem was, though, that Ciel didn't know how he could go on if he lost Sebastian the way he'd lost his parents and Madam Red; the ones he had cared for the most that he'd lost way before he should have. Sebastian falling in love could, theoretically, mean that the demon wouldn't be there for him any longer.

Since Sebastian had obviously been keeping this a secret from him, Ciel felt both hurt and humiliated. The only thing that had hurt worse than this was his parents' dying like that. And right now, sitting alone in this chair, he felt more lonesome and bereft than he had ever felt before in his life.

Grell had admired the large bedroom that Lucifer possessed, though he'd been presently surprised by the colors. Instead of being solid black or variations of it in and on everything in the room, instead there had been a combination of red, black, emerald green, and even a little purple, though that had been a deeper shade than Lucifer's eyes. It was definitely unique, though Grell rather liked it. It definitely wasn't bland or decked out like a tomb as some demons' rooms were.

The bed was rather large as well, making the sleeping demon within it seem smaller than he truly was. Once Lucifer was resting comfortably, Undertaker had removed his shoes and loosened his dark trousers, though he'd left them on. Pulling the silk sheets and satin blankets over his sleeping friend, he made sure he was resting comfortably before blowing the candles out and leaving silently with Grell.

The older Shinigami had felt how the red-head was staring at him, though he had been more concerned with making sure Lucifer was sleeping soundly before he spoke with Grell. With Sebastian resting as well, he could show Grell around now, though he didn't know what to think of the puzzlement in the green eyes that glittered behind those glasses. Taking Grell to a balcony that overlooked a large field, Undertaker had instructed one of the servants to bring them something to drink.

As they were Grim Reapers, they did not eat as a rule, but this was a nice place to relax. It was a safe place to talk as well without getting interrupted. Once their hot tea was brought out to them, resting upon a silver tray on the table just beside them, Undertaker looked at Grell, his eyes hidden as always beneath his long hair.

"Are you simply going to gawk at me or ask me what's on your mind, Grell?" he finally asked, looking at him. He was a little amused at the blatant staring, though not certain what the younger Reaper was thinking.

Blushing a crimson shade nearly the hue of his hair, Grell coughed quickly to keep from having to answer immediately. Swallowing slowly, he calmed down a little before he spoke. "Well… I was wondering what exactly your relationship is with that Demon Lord," he confessed, though he knew it was really none of his business. His gaze dropped, his lips dropping into a pout as he waited to hear what Undertaker would say.

That was completely expected. For a few seconds, Undertaker simply stared at the pouting Shinigami. Part of him was elated that Grell seemed interested in his romantic life, though describing his relationship with Lucifer might not be a good idea. Considering that he did like Grell, he didn't want to dissuade him by telling him the extent of everything between himself and his oldest, dearest friend. Nor did he want to lie, however; that wasn't fair to either of them.

"He's my best friend," Undertaker replied truthfully, meeting Grell's eyes directly. "I've known him since we were both teenagers; we've been best friends since we first met, Grell." He paused for a moment, before he continued. "If you're asking if we're in a romantic relationship, I wouldn't necessarily say that we are. We were together long time ago, but when the Shinigami and Demon war ended, we went our separate ways. I retired as a Grim Reaper and went to the human world; Lucifer had to take his father's place here in the Demon World."

He looked more serious now than he had before, though some amount of pain could be heard in his usually jovial voice. "But even after we broke up, we promised that if either of us ever needed the other's help, we'd be there no matter what. Lucifer asked me to go with him to rescue Michaelis; he knew I'd help him, just as I know that if I needed his help, he'd give it to me no matter what."

Grell was slightly assured by Undertaker's words, though the way he spoke told him that the older Shinigami still greatly cared for Lucifer. It was also obvious in the way he'd acted, scolding the Demon Lord into taking care of his wound. Not entirely sure of what to say, he leaned over, intending to pick his tea cup up.

Almost immediately, however, he put it back down; the liquid inside had splashed over onto his hand, scalding him slightly. It was extremely hot to the touch, moreso than tea should ever be. Gasping slightly, Grell stared in shock at his burned hand only to feel cool, soft fingers encircle it. Flushing a little, he looked at Undertaker in surprised silence.

Carefully holding it, Undertaker inspected the delicate appendages carefully. Reddened skin showed clearly against the pale contrast of the rest of Grell's hand, and cool breath flowed across it, soothing the pain that was beginning to make itself known to Grell. Before Grell's eyes, Undertaker parted his lips slowly to once again blow cool air across his burned fingers. Of course, Grell was more distracted by the sudden warmth he felt in his lower stomach as he watched Undertaker's lips so close to his hand, not understanding why his heart was suddenly pounding.

To be continued