"Is this really necessary?" Ciel asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly at the familiar table in front of him.

"Why, yes, of course, my lord." Sebastian said and guided his master to one of the chairs. "I think it is time to renegotiate the terms of our contract."

"I don't see the point of it, really." Ciel said, but didn't protest when he was being seated on the chair. "I mean, I don't see why we have to... renegotiate. My goal hasn't changed and it never will."

"Yes, of course, my lord. However, my goal has changed." Sebastian said, his tone pleasant as he lingered behind Ciel, his hands resting on the earl's shoulders.

"Hm?" Ciel tilted his face up to look at the demon's face. "Don't tell me that you don't plan on devouring my soul anymore. That part of the contract cannot be changed."

"No, it cannot." Sebastian agreed. "However, the terms of our contract can be changed."

Ciel remembered the three terms, or as Sebastian had worded them, wishes of their contract. "Before you start getting ideas, I'm not willing to change those terms, regardless of what happened."

"I know and I do not expect you to. Those are not the terms that I wish to change." Sebastian said before walking around the table. He sat down on the empty chair. "Instead, I would like to propose additional terms."

Ciel narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to read his demon's face, but couldn't. "What are you playing at?"

"No games, my lord. I can assure you, I am not playing anything when it comes to our contract." Sebastian said.

"You could've fooled me." Ciel muttered, remembering how the demon 'played' him back when they first formed their contract. "Alright, let's hear it then, what is it that you want?" He said, leaning forward to rest his clasped hands on the table as if he was in a business meeting.

Sebastian smiled. "As you know, the original goal of our contract is for me to stay by your side and help you attain your revenge. Until then, I shall never lie to you, I shall protect you and never betray you, and I shall obey your every order without question..."

"Something that you like to conveniently forget sometimes, yes." Ciel said. "I remember them, Sebastian. Just get on with it already."

"I would like to propose a slight alteration to that." Sebastian said.

"A meeting like this, just for a slight alteration? A bit too much, don't you think?"

"Oh, but a contract is a contract, my lord. Every change, every alteration, however minuscule, must be discussed and agreed upon by both parties before it could be carried out." Sebastian said.

"Very well. What kind of alteration would you like to propose?" Ciel asked.

"I would like to change the terms of our contract's termination." Sebastian said.

"I don't understand." Ciel said.

"As per our contract now, I will take your soul as my payment once you have attained your revenge..." Sebastian trailed off as he hesitated.

"Yes, and...?" Ciel prompted after a few seconds of silence. But when the demon didn't answer, he frowned in concern. "Sebastian?"

Sebastian remained silent for a few more seconds, before he got back to his feet. "My apologies, my lord." He said and walked to Ciel. He took the boy's arm and tugged him gently to his feet. "This is a foolish idea, after all." He waved his hand and the table disappeared.

Ciel was thoroughly confused. "What?"

"I shall prepare your bath now, Young Master." Sebastian said and started making his way to the bathroom.

"No, wait!" Ciel said, reaching to grab his butler's arm, stopping him in his track. "What is it that you have in mind?"

"It is not important, sir." Sebastian said, but he didn't meet Ciel's eye, which told the boy that something was weighing the demon's mind.

"Still, tell me." Ciel insisted.

"It is but my own selfish desire, my lord." Sebastian said.

Now Ciel was curious. "Well, what is it? Stop beating around the bush! It doesn't become you and you know how it vexes me so!"

"I wish to extend our contract beyond your revenge." Sebastian finally said.

Ciel blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I want our contract to last your entire lifetime, until the very end, until the moment that you draw your last breath. I will then take your soul to keep you with me." Sebastian said.

Ciel let go of Sebastian's arm and let his hand drop to his side. "Why?"

Sebastian looked at the boy with a mix of disbelief and exasperation. "Must you really ask me that? Now that you are mine as much as I am yours, I find myself reluctant, unwilling to let you go. There is so much in life beyond your revenge, so much you can see, places you can visit. And I want you to experience those, to experience life."

Ceil stared at his demon. "That's... surprisingly unselfish."

"I assure you, I am doing this entirely out of my own selfishness because I want you to experience those things with me. I want to keep you, for as long as I possibly can. I want you to continue living, beyond your goal, for me, for... us."

Ciel was quiet as he thought about Sebastian's words.

"I need time to think about this." Ciel finally said.

Sebastian immediately composed himself. "Of course, my lord." He said with a bow. "I shall prepare your bath now."

"Yes." Ciel nodded.


Things were normal in the Phantomhive household, as normal as it could get with its unusual occupants. The servants were wreaking havoc and creating all sorts of problems for the butler to fix and the master was busy with his usual duties and responsibilities. All in all, it was business as usual, as far as everyone was concerned.

And yet, behind closed doors, inside the young earl's bedroom, it was anything but. Sebastian was still attentive and he was doing his job splendidly, as always, but there was something between them, an invisible barrier. And Ciel didn't like that at all.

Ciel sighed heavily.

For the past few months, he and Sebastian had been courting, if he could even call it that. How was one supposed to court a demon anyway? Or was it him who was being courted? No matter. Details, details... The point was, their relationship had developed into something beyond that of master and butler, so far beyond. They hadn't done anything much, just lingering touches, teasing remarks (although those weren't exactly new), and kisses that made the earl blush, but nothing beyond that. Ciel wanted to take it slow, given his past trauma, and Sebastian had obliged, only going as far as Ciel wanted to and reminding the earl that he was still the one holding the control over the demon.

Ciel had to admit that it was exciting and exhilarating. Sometimes, he even caught himself smiling when he thought about their newly found affection for each other, something that he thought he wasn't capable of anymore. They were very careful about it, of course, maintaining the façade of master and butler when they were in the presence of others. It wasn't too difficult, seeing that it was just another secret on top of their many other secrets, although many times, Ciel was tempted to reach out and take his butler's hand, which didn't escape the demon's keen observation and he would usually respond by giving his master an amused, yet knowing look, which made Ciel question who was actually in control in this relationship.

Ciel wasn't quite ready to admit it, even to himself, but he was... happy. He had always thought that he was living on borrowed time, that he could never be happy again, that he could never feel again, and yet, here he was, daydreaming about his butler when he was supposed to be working. His butler had turned him into a lovesick fool and Ciel was a willing participant.

But how could he not be? For the first time since the fire that took his parents, he finally remembered how it felt to be loved, to be happy, and it was all thanks to his demon butler. What an irony... The person who had awakened these warm feelings in him was a creature from hell. But then again, nothing in his life was normal, so why not add a demon lover into the mix?

His thoughts turned back to what happened a few nights ago. Ciel had long resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't live long. He was sixteen now and he had lived beyond his own expectation. And now, Sebastian had asked him to live on, beyond his revenge, beyond his goal.

For him, for them.

For any other person, the answer would be an easy 'yes', but Ciel Phantomhive wasn't just anyone. He had a goal and he focused on his goal. Although he was getting sidetracked now, he still had his eyes fixed firmly on his goal, his revenge. He recalled Sebastian's words. He could and would still achieve his goal, his demon would still help him do that. Sebastian would still be his sword and shield, would still be his butler, nothing would change, except, Ciel would continue on living after that.

Would he want to? After all, he had nothing else to live for. He had lost his family, his childhood, his innocence... What was there left for him to live for?

Ciel groaned in frustration. Their relationship wasn't normal to begin with and now the demon had asked this of him. He should be happy, he should be relieved that he wouldn't meet his end so early, but he couldn't think of anything else that he wanted to do. His entire focus had been on his revenge, he had dedicated himself fully to the cause, he was nothing without his revenge. Could he really be something more? Did he have it in him to be something more?

Ciel was a strategist through and through. He planned his every move, placing his pieces, his pawns on the board, according to his design. The game was supposed to end when he finally got his revenge. It was supposed to be checkmate, a game over, both for his enemies and himself. What was there for him to do after the game was over?

For the past six years, he had lived solely for the game and to think that he would live after the game was over, well, that thought never crossed his mind and he realized, he found the thought to be scary. It would be an uncharted territory for him, something unknown, something beyond his control, and Ciel hated not being in control.

Was he willing to venture out to the unknown for him, for them?

His feelings for his demon, their relationship, the demon himself... Was he willing to let go of his control for these things? To take that step into the unknown, with Sebastian by his side?

And would that be worth it?


Sebastian knocked on the study door and heard his master called for him to enter. He opened the door and pushed the teacart into the study.

"You have been working for hours, perhaps it's time to take a short break, Young Master?" Sebastian said as he started preparing his master's afternoon tea. "For today's afternoon tea, I've prepared Darjeeling White tea along with strawberry shortcake."

"Hm." Ciel grunted, not looking up from the paper in his hand.

Unperturbed by Ciel's lack of proper response, Sebastian continued his preparation and put the tea and the cake on the desk.

Ciel put down his paper and picked up the fork.

"What time is Mr. Page going to be here?" Ciel asked.

"He should be arriving in about an hour at four o'clock, my lord." Sebastian replied after a quick glance at the clock.

"Do I have any more appointment afterwards?" Ciel asked as he started eating.

"No, sir. Your schedule is free for the rest of the day." Sebastian informed him.

Ciel just nodded and continued eating. Then he drank his tea and once he was done, Sebastian cleared up the empty dishes and left to start preparing for dinner.


As he pushed the cart back to the kitchen, Sebastian couldn't help but think about the predicament that he found himself in. He wondered if he had made a big mistake that night. Ever since their conversation that evening, Ciel had been somewhat distant and more business-like and he had no one else to blame but himself.

By nature, demons were selfish and he had stayed true to his nature. He knew that Ciel didn't plan or expect to live beyond his revenge, knew that the boy thought there was nothing beyond his goal, but Sebastian wanted to show him that there was so much more. He refused to let go of his master because he wanted him all for himself, because he wanted the boy to be his, to have and to hold, for as long as the boy shall live. He wanted to extend the boy's life for his own selfish reasons.

Sebastian chuckled to himself as he navigated through the empty hallway. A mere mortal child had somehow managed to steal his heart, which he didn't even know he had, and had turned him into a lovesick fool and worse still, he found himself to be a willing participant.

At first, he tried to deny it, tried to tell himself that this was all for the soul, nothing more, nothing less. But soon, he had to admit that this was not about the soul anymore. Oh, he still wanted Ciel's soul, alright. But now, he wanted his soul not to satisfy his hunger, but to keep the boy with him. Ciel belonged to him and he wouldn't let anyone else take what was rightfully, completely his. Demons were very possessive after all.

Sebastian had spent the past few days thinking about this. He knew he was selfish, he knew he wanted the boy for himself, so why didn't he push for the contract? Why did he hesitate? Instead of trying to persuade and talk Ciel into accepting the new term, he had let the boy decide. Maybe he was in this deeper than he thought he was, but somehow, he didn't even mind.


After Ciel concluded his meeting with Mr. Page, he told Sebastian to escort the man out. Ten minutes later, he rang the bell to summon his butler back into his office.

One minute later, Sebastian knocked on the door and Ciel told him to come in.

"Do you require anything, my lord?" Sebastian asked. He was finishing dinner preparation and would like to get back to it as soon as possible, before Baldroy decided to 'help out' and ruin a few hours' worth of work.

"What were you doing?" Ciel asked.

"Preparing for dinner, sir." Sebastian said, a little confused at the unusual question. "Is something the matter, Young Master?"

Ciel regarded him. "I don't have any other appointment for the rest of the day, correct?"

"No, sir. You have the rest of the evening free." Sebastian confirmed.

"Then I'd like to make one." Ciel said.

"Beg you pardon?"

"I want to set up a meeting appointment, Sebastian." Ciel said.

"Young Master, it's a little too late to send out a request for a meeting for this evening. The earliest appointment would have to be set for tomorrow morning." Sebastian said.

"I suppose so..." Ciel mused. "The request would have to be sent out, and then the person would have to travel all the way here. Yes, I think it's far too late to set up a meeting for this evening."

"I will send out the request now, if you wish so. That way, the meeting could be set first thing tomorrow morning." Sebastian said and took out his notebook to rearrange Ciel's schedule tomorrow.

"That's a good idea, except..." Ciel looked at his butler. "The request doesn't need to be sent out and the person doesn't need to travel all the way here." It took everything in him not to smirk or laugh at his demon's unusually bewildered expression.

"Is the young master referring to a phone meeting?" Sebastian asked.

"Hm, no." Ciel said.

"I do not understand, sir..." Sebastian finally admitted.

"It's quite simple, Sebastian." Ciel said patiently. "No request needs to be sent out and no travel needs to be done because the person is already here."

Sebastian looked at Ciel in utter confusion. The boy was playing with him, he could tell, but what was his game?

"In fact, I'd like to set up the meeting now. Sit down." Ciel gestured at the chair across from him.

"Beg you pardon?" Sebastian asked, even more confused at the unexpected words.

Ciel sighed. "What is wrong with you? Sit down. It's a simple order."

Sebastian instantly obeyed and sat down. "If you would like to discuss something, sir, I hardly think it warrants a meeting."

"Oh, but a contract is a contract, Sebastian. Every change, every alteration, however minuscule, must be discussed and agreed upon by both parties before it could be carried out. I think this does warrant a proper meeting." Ciel repeated what Sebastian told him a few nights ago and allowed himself a satisfied smile upon seeing the look of surprise on Sebastian's face.

"My lord?"

"I think it's time to renegotiate the terms of our contract." Ciel continued. "You have given me your proposal and I told you that I will consider it. I have made my decision."

As much as Sebastian wanted to hope, he didn't dare to. He knew his master well and he knew that Ciel was more than capable of doing the unexpected.

"May I be so bold to ask what your decision is, my lord?" Sebastian asked carefully.

"Take off your glove." Ciel ordered as he untied the knot at the back of his head and took off his eyepatch, revealing his Faustian mark.

Sebastian slid his white glove off his left hand, revealing his own mark, identical to that of his master's.

"Sebastian, I would like to change the terms of our contract." Ciel said seriously. "You shall never lie to me, you shall protect me and never betray me, you shall obey my orders without question... for as long as I live. Until the very end, until the moment I draw my last breath, you are to stay by my side. After that, you will take my soul and keep it with you, keep me with you. Do you accept the new terms and payment?"

At first, Sebastian was stunned, but he quickly regained his composure.

"That is more than acceptable, my lord. It shall be done." Sebastian said with a smile. Their Faustian marks glowed brightly in response of their new agreement.

Ciel got up from his chair and walked around his desk. Sebastian got to his feet too.

"Sit down. Did I tell you to stand?" Ciel asked.

"No, my lord." Sebastian said and sat back down obediently.

Ciel came to a stop in front of his demon. "My goal has not changed, it never will. But I've spent the past six years playing this game, I never thought that there would be something else waiting for me after the game is over and our contract is fulfilled. I thought that there's nothing left for me to do after that. But now, I want more. I want to be selfish. I want to see what else is there for me, what life could offer. And I want you to show me. I want to experience life, with you. I want to continue living, beyond the game, beyond my goal, for you, for myself, for us."

Sebastian was, in all honesty, speechless.

"So, what do you say, Sebastian?" Ciel asked, a small smirk on his face. "Shall we be selfish together?"

Sebastian smiled widely. "Yes, my lord."

Ciel leaned in to kiss his butler, his lover, his protector, his demon, his everything...

Only to be interrupted by a loud explosion, which made the earl jump in surprise.

"What the hell was that?!" Ciel asked.

"I believe that was your dinner, my lord." Sebastian growled and got to his feet. His smile was gone. He now looked positively murderous.

"My dinner? What?" Ciel was confused. "My dinner exploded?!"

"Please do not worry, Young Master. I will ensure that dinner will be served in a timely manner. Please excuse me." Sebastian said with a bow and turned to leave.

Ciel could only stand there and stare at Sebastian's retreating back. A few seconds later, he found himself hoping that their so-called chef was still alive.


Dinner was fine. It wasn't burnt, it wasn't in pieces. In fact, it was wonderful, as always. After dinner, Ciel went to the library to read until Sebastian showed up to fetch him at bedtime.

Ciel walked to his room, with his butler following behind him dutifully. They reached the master bedchamber and got inside, closing the door behind them.

"We're not done with our meeting." Ciel said.

"Oh? Is there any additional terms that you would like to discuss, sir?"

"No, but I believe that it's customary that upon reaching an agreement, the contract was to be sealed." Ciel said.

"I see. And how do you propose we seal the contract, my lord?" Sebastian asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Why, with a kiss, of course." Ciel said. He was blushing slightly at his own boldness, but he was determined to do this.

For him, for them.

Ciel wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck. "Especially since we were rudely interrupted by an exploding dinner earlier."

"Ah, yes, that seems to be the right way to seal a contract such as ours." Sebastian agreed and wrapped his arms around the earl's slim waist.

"The only way..." Ciel murmured before their lips met.