Death Watch

Chapter Five

Only Drug

"Sebastian!" Ciel called out again franticly as he rushed forward, having recognized the man for who he was. Equal parts of relief and fury filled him as he ran to him, his butler's arms now resting slackly at his sides, eyes closed in his tilted-back head. Opening abruptly at the sound of his name, he gazed up at Ciel with wonder and confusion. His mouth parted, as if to speak, but no words came out.

"Sebastian!" Ciel demanded, a little less angrily this time. What the hell was wrong with him? "What has happened? Are you hurt?" His butler cocked his head at that, and seemed to consider it.

"Hmmm..." he finally answered. His eyes looked away from Ciel, as he looked at something in the distance that only he could see. His deep but dulcet voice hummed out again. "Hmm. No, I think not. No, not… hurt." His gaze turned back and focused now suddenly on Ciel, as if really seeing him for the first time. He actually eked out an attempt at a smile, which came out lopsided and ended in a frown. "It is time to be getting home, young master," he said, as he tried valiantly to right himself and then slowly rise to his feet. He did not succeed, however, and was about to keel over and crash onto the pavement when Ciel's hands automatically shot out and caught him. He staggered under his butler's weight, much heavier than he could ever have guessed, as he had never had occasion before this to realize it. His knees started to give way as he struggled to keep upright, but he prevailed, and straightened up shakily to throw his butler's arm around his shoulder and have him lean against him.

Now feeling a little steadier, he asked, "Sebastian, what HAS happened to you? If you are not hurt, are you ill?" Could demons even get ill, he wondered?

Sebastian just chuckled at this. Ciel didn't see the humor. He had to get him home somehow, in any case. He took a step forward, and hoped Sebastian would start walking as well, but when he did, his butler's feet just dragged along the ground. Ciel felt his knees give way again as he faltered, this time losing the battle and collapsing to the pavement, his butler's body falling against him. He stayed there, trembling for a few moments, Sebastian's body draped almost lifelessly over him; a warm, heavy blanket of demonic weight.

Dammit! What was he going to do? He had to get him home. He was sure whatever ailed him, whatever illness he had obviously succumbed to would be easily cured by Sebastian himself, somehow, once he was home.

"Come along, Sebastian. Get up! We've got to get you home." He tried once more to rise, but it was almost impossible under the weight. "Come on now! No more fooling around! Let's get moving!" he barked impatiently.

"Young master," he mumbled into Ciel's ear, almost unintelligibly. "Young master, my young master," he murmured. "Pardon my unforgivable failure as a butler." His hot breath coursed through Ciel's body with an odd sensation. He brushed it off, and just huffed his annoyance. Grunting heavily, he once more stepped forward in an attempt to get his great lumbering oaf of a butler moving. To his surprise, Sebastian began to compliantly stagger alongside him, and they were at least finally making some progress forward. He was still persisting in mumbling into his ear with slurred words as they went, though.

"Young master, I am so sorry. It is inexcusable. We shall be late getting you home, and late in getting you supper. I haven't even begun preparations!" He said this last with such an apologetic whine of misery that Ciel actually felt a little bad for him. That was an unpardonable sin in his butler's eyes, for him to be late in preparing dinner. He shook his head in exasperated amusement.

"Really, Sebastian, it's alright. I think we can overlook the offense just this once." Sebastian didn't reply, just smiled back at him in an inordinately pleased, almost teary eyed way.

They continued on their way, the driving rain now pelting them harder than ever, soaking them through. Seeing a passing cab, Ciel hailed it, and to his immense relief it stopped, and they got in, not without extreme difficulty on both their parts. Once they were settled, Ciel leaned out the window and gave the driver directions to the townhouse. He didn't want his other servants seeing Sebastian in this state, he decided. It was just too mortifying on both their parts.

The Hansom jostled and bumped along the cobbled streets, jarring them as they sat together on one side of the cab. There had been no question of even trying to get Sebastian to sit on the seat opposite him and stay sitting upright. His arm lay draped heavily around Ciel's shoulders, his body leaning against him, his head bent down and resting on the top of Ciel's own. He felt Sebastian's other arm suddenly fling itself around him as well, holding him in a loose embrace.

Ciel just shook his head in exasperation. Well, they would be at the townhouse soon enough. He wondered again what had happened to make him like this. It was almost like he was...

"Are you drunk?" he exclaimed, in sudden comprehension. Sebastian's head lifted from where it rested on his, and then looked down at him. He smiled widely in apparent amusement.

"Drunk? Ha! Demons do not get drunk." He blinked at Ciel. "Alcohol has no effect on us. No; no, not drunk." He chuckled again. "Drunk..." He actually giggled. A jolt of something akin to fear went down Ciel's spine at the sound of it.

"Teeheehee-heehee," he continued. "Oh my. No. Not drunk. Something... similar, though." He grinned. Ciel shuddered. What was he getting at? If he wasn't drunk, he sure was acting like it. There were other substances, of course, that could affect a person in this way. Drugs. He hadn't thought of that.

"Are you drugged, then?" he asked curiously.

"Ah ha! Hit the nail on the head you did, young master! Astute as ever, as I would expect," he replied.

Ciel could only stare dumbfounded at him for several seconds and then blink, shaking his head a little in disbelief.

"What? How?" he spluttered.

"Hmm? Ah, yes, well of course, drugs don't normally have any effect on demons either. Human drugs, that is." He grinned again at Ciel. "Now, demon drugs... that's a whole 'nother story."

"You... you obtained a drug... from another demon?" he queried, both intrigued and horrified at the thought of this. "Who? Why?"

"Oh, master, please, one question at a time." He smiled again. "As to who, yes, he is a demon, like me, who deals in such things. We Meerlia have our own vices, ones that I almost always shun nowadays. But there are times... times when temptation sets in, when it is just too hard... so hard, to resist. Claude is indeed a clawed, nasty bastard, but I got from him what I wanted."

Ciel was dumbstruck. His butler had deliberately done this to himself? His shook his head, uncomprehending. Why would he do such a thing? He would never have expected Sebastian to be suspect to such a sordid temptation. He felt not so much disgusted at him, as disappointed.

They arrived at the townhouse, and after paying the driver, Ciel retrieved Sebastian from the cab, helping him step down and then walk to the door. With a sharp crack of his whip the cabbie was off, leaving them standing together, alone at the doorstep. Sebastian was at least walking a little better now if still weaving slightly, and they made it into the front hall without much more trouble.

"Come, let us get you to your room," Ciel commanded. The demon looked bemusedly at Ciel.

"Is the little master attending to his butler now?" he asked, his mouth crooking up in a smile. Ciel just rolled his eyes.

"But young master, I cannot allow you to administer to me as if I was your equal. I am merely a butler, after all, not a lord." He smiled sappily at Ciel. "Get it? Merely a… teeheeheee… a butler," he tittered drunkenly once again.

"Yes, yes, Sebastian. I get the joke. You've been making it since day one, almost. Merely a butler. Sounds almost like Meerlia butler. So you're saying you're a demon butler. Yes! Ha ha. Now come along!"

"Well then, lead the way, my lord. I will follow." Ciel couldn't help smiling back at him, but then abruptly stopped himself. This was not amusing to him; not amusing at all.

Opening the door, Ciel propelled the unsteady demon into his room. His butler's quarters here at the townhouse weren't as spacious as at the manor, but still quite lavish for being the bedroom of a mere servant. Leading him to the bed, Ciel guided Sebastian towards it, and pushed him down until he was sitting on the edge. He immediately swayed over to the side, however, and sank down until he lay across the bed. Ciel sighed, and deciding there was little else he could do, heaved his butler's heavy legs up and over the side of the bed. He belatedly realized he needed to get his coat off him, as the still drenched garment was starting to soak into the coverlet. He pondered how he was going to do this however, now that he lay sprawled out on the bed.

Why was he even doing this, he suddenly wondered? The fool had gone and done this to himself; he didn't deserve any help or consideration from him. On the contrary, he should be giving him nothing but scolding and contempt for his current condition and shameful performance as a butler. He looked at his servant, lying so contentedly now, eyes closed, his hand having come up to rest beneath his cheek after he had scooted up a little to be able to somewhat rest his head on pillow. It occurred to him he had never seen his butler truly asleep before. How many countless times had Sebastian seen him sleeping? Too many. It seemed quite unfair. Seeing someone like that was somehow agreeable; charming, almost.

He shook his head to clear it of such sentimental thoughts. Well, he needed to figure out a way to somehow get his overcoat off him at least. Putting one knee on the side of the bed, he leaned over and started not very adeptly unbuttoning the buttons and unbuckling the belt. Finally getting the coat open, he next tried pulling an arm out of the sleeve. Sebastian was being totally uncooperative with this, though, and Ciel resorted to having to completely climb up on the bed and straddle him to finally get one sleeve off. Sitting back on his butler's legs, he wiped his own still slightly wet hair out of his face and sighed in exasperation.

"Really, Sebastian, do you think you could try to help out just a little?" He saw his butler's mouth twitch, and one eye crack open slightly, glowing red. The bastard was toying with him, he realized. Thoroughly vexed now and clenching his jaw, he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Enough of your nonsense, Sebastian! You WILL cooperate with me. Now, help me get this off!" The demon stirred, and slowly hoisted himself up on his elbows, but only proceeded to reach an arm out to Ciel.

"But master, you're just as soaked through as I; we should be first getting you out of your clothes, before you catch a chill and get sick." He reached for Ciel with a pout, and began clumsily fumbling with his coat buttons, not even starting with the top. Ciel swatted him off, and quickly took the opportunity to reach around and tug Sebastian's other sleeve off him, finally getting the coat fully off and flinging it to the floor.

Sebastian reached once more for Ciel's coat buttons. "Now you, young master." Ciel slapped him away again, though a little less annoyed. At least they had made some progress.

Climbing back down off the bed, he stepped over the coat where he had tossed it on the floor. The chill of the room hit him and he shivered. There was of course no fire going in the room, the townhouse being normally uninhabited right now.

"Aah, ah-chooo!" Ciel sneezed. Great. He probably actually was going to get sick now, he thought. Or maybe, just maybe... Ciel marched over to the wardrobe, and flung the doors wide open. No cats came leaping out of it though, to his relief. He wouldn't have put it past him. "Ah choo!" He sneezed again. Well, Sebastian was at least safe, and lying peacefully in bed. He could probably go up to his own room now, and get some rest.

He peered over at Sebastian as he walked toward the door. He was lying flat on his back now, eyes closed, his hands folded across his abdomen; but his head turned and he opened his eyes and looked at Ciel as he walked past. Ciel just looked back at him, then turned away and continued to the door. Stepping out and closing the door behind him, it seemed he could still feel those eyes on him; those half seeing, burning embers, watching him as he walked away.

He made his way up to his bedroom, and switched on the gas lamp. The room was freezing cold. Going to the hearth, he tried to remember how to start the fire. He looked around. Well, first to put some coke in the grate. There was a full bucket of the coals beside the hearth, luckily, and he lifted it up, none too easily to his chagrin and tried to pour some in. He only managed to get a few pieces to tumble out though, and so tipped it a little higher. With a loud crash, the entire contents of the bucket came cascading out, thudding all around and over the hearth, sending up billows of black dust. Choking and coughing, Ciel dropped the bucket with a clangorous thud, and backed away from the cloud that was now slowly dissipating down from the air, coating the entire area around the hearth with a thin, soft carpet of ash. Damn! he thought to himself, continuing to cough as he tried to clear the dust from out of his lungs.

"My goodness, young master. You've made quite a mess."

The rich tones of his butler's voice followed by a deep chuckling resonated in his ear. Ciel twirled around, indignation filling him to find the demon's face directly above his, smiling down at him, his glowing eyes still clouded and unfocused. He was surprised he had managed to sneak up on him like that in his current state, much less get there so quickly from his room, which was clear over on the other side of the house. Well, at least he was apparently able to move around a little more easily, he thought with relief, although irritation won out at the clearly amused look that was still spread upon his butler's face.

"Now, now, young master. Don't go getting all in a huff. Here, let me take care of this." Striding now a little more smoothly to the hearth, although with still a slight weave to his walk, Sebastian promptly took up the hearth brush and pan and began sweeping up the mess. In moments the entire area was clean, and he then proceeded to quickly rearrange all the scattered coals into one big pile on the grate. In the blink of an eye as it seemed to Ciel, the fire was lit, and the coke began slowly heating up.

Ciel felt another uncontrollable shiver go through his body just at the thought of being warm soon. Sebastian was immediately looming over him with deep concern in his eyes. "Young master, we need to get you out of those wet clothes and warmed up." He was sounding almost normal now, Ciel realized. "I will draw you a hot bath, and you may bathe whilst I prepare some hot tea and snacks for you."

As much as he hated being pampered like this, he did want to keep from getting truly sick, so he just nodded in acquiescence, his eyes half closing with fatigue. It was just nice to have his normal-acting butler back at least, he thought; well, fairly normal. When he looked around, he saw that Sebastian had stopped halfway to the door to the bathroom and was just standing there, head cocked slightly to one side, looking lost. He slowly pivoted to face Ciel, a faraway look on his face, like he had forgotten something.

"Are you alright, Sebastian?" he asked. The demon just looked away, and then shook his head, turning back to make for the bathroom once more. Ciel soon heard the water being readied, a most welcome sound indeed to his ears, he had to admit.

"I shall undress you, master." Ciel turned around from the desk where he had been standing and looked up at his butler. His face was an unreadable mask now, which was at least an improvement over his laughing and dazed state of before. Not wanting to jeopardize this new but still somewhat shaky equilibrium of his, he acquiesced to his butler's performing the task that had always been such a normal routine of theirs until so recently. His gloved hands first came around Ciel's head to untie and remove his eye patch, and then proceeded to Ciel's neck to begin slowly undoing the many buttons and fastenings of the layers of his garb, eventually getting down to his shirt, the last thing to be removed. Ciel stood passively, allowing him to lift the garment off his arms and place it on the bed along with the rest of his clothes, and proceeded to follow his butler as he turned and led the way to the bath. Swinging one leg over the edge and then the other, he heaved a sigh of contentment as he submerged himself in the warm, fragrant water.

Giving a low bow that evidenced only a hint of wobbliness now, his butler turned and left the room, saying nothing more. Ciel relaxed in the tub, anticipating the tea and snacks that Sebastian would soon bring. There was nothing quite as delicious as the treats that only he could make, and no tea was ever prepared as perfectly as his.

Bathed, fed, and now allowing himself to be dressed for bed, as it seemed to be something that had a normalizing effect on the demon, Ciel felt immensely more at ease. He still didn't know quite what to make of his butler's digressions today, but he was at least relieved that he now finally seemed almost completely sober. He still wished he could understand exactly why he done it, though. The last button of his nightshirt having been fastened by his servant, Ciel then climbed into the bed, but stayed sitting up.

"Sebastian," he said. His butler looked up and back at him from where he was neatly folding and laying out his next day's attire. "I want some answers." The demon looked worriedly at him, and pursed his lips. It seemed he was none too eager to yield to Ciel's request.

"Come here." Moving slowly, the demon obeyed and approached the bed.

"Sit." Ciel reached out, and patted the bed at his feet. His butler's eyes opened wide at this unconventional request. Well, Ciel thought, this whole day was rather unconventional, so he shouldn't be too surprised.

"Master," he said, as he lowered his tall, black-clad form to sit on the side of his bed. "What can I say?" He looked around at Ciel with his tiger lily-hued eyes, half concealed with heavy lids and long lashes. As usual, Ciel found it hard not to get lost in them. Demon eyes. He had always wondered at the effect they had on him. He brushed it off as usual as just one of the many unique traits of this otherworldly being.

"Why?" Ciel asked, bemusedly. He shook his head. "Why would you do something like this?" Sebastian just hung his head, and didn't answer. "Is something wrong? Is there something I should know about?"

Sebastian's shoulders rose and then lowered as he heaved a sigh. He slowly turned his head to look at Ciel, and tipped his head to one side. His eyes had a soft, faraway look to them once more, and Ciel felt a pang of nervousness. Had he been too quick to assume his butler was almost fully rid of the drug's effects?

Apparently so, he thought, as to his shock, Sebastian swung his lanky body completely around to bring his feet up to the bed, shoes and all, and sit on his knees to face Ciel.

"My lord." He paused. "I ask for your forgiveness." He said this with total solemnity, but which was then broken by his subsequently smiling slightly, his mouth opening a bit. Ciel caught a glimmer of sharp incisors as his tongue ran over his lower lip. He shivered. Sebastian continued. "Young master. There are times... times when the hunger grows hard to resist. It is my own choice, and I am convinced it will be well worth the wait, but it has been a long time now, and the hunger… grows stronger with each passing day."

Ciel felt a surge of fear go through him. He was talking about his soul. Was he going to try to break the contract, and just take it? He felt the urge to back away, to run; but he stopped himself. How useless such actions would be! But no; Sebastian would never do that. He trusted him completely; well, he trusted him about ninety percent at least, he thought sardonically. Of course, said demon wasn't completely in his right state of mind just now... Doubt and fear surged anew through him.

"Do not fear, young master!" Sebastian exclaimed, entreatingly. "I will not break our covenant. That I would never do." Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. He believed him. Sebastian looked so sincerely at him. "It is hard, but I believe I am strong enough to withstand it, to resist the temptation." He smiled again at him through half closed eyes.

Ciel was appeased. "Well, just don't go doing something as foolish as this again. Understood?"

Sebastian dipped his head, and reached out his hands to take Ciel's right hand in his. Bringing it up to his mouth, he kissed it, something he hadn't done since the very beginning of their contract, in that first year. A jolt went through Ciel, he wasn't quite sure why; but he figured it was because he was disgusted at him for doing such a thing. He was speechless. He didn't snatch his hand back, though. He couldn't quite bring himself to, for some reason.

"Yes, my lord," the demon replied, through lips that still lingered on his hand and then ran down his fingers. At that, Ciel did snatch his hand away, finally. The feeling was just... too much.

"You have my word, young master." Sebastian looked back up at him once more, his eyes burning deeply red now. "Truly, you're usually the only drug I need."

"What?" What the hell was his butler talking about, he wondered?

Reaching out, Sebastian caressed Ciel's face lightly with his fingertips. "Just being near you, my little lord, serving you; the scent of your soul, the feel of it... of you... of touching you..."

"What are you doing?" Ciel asked him, but not harshly, more simply with confusion. He wasn't afraid of him anymore. He was his butler, his loyal and dedicated servant, who had put his own life on the line many times for him, and had served him faithfully all these years.

Closing his eyes, Sebastian brought his hand back to his lap and hung his head. Looking back up, he smiled at Ciel once more.

"So beautiful... such long lashes..." he whispered ever so softly. Reaching out, he placed a gloved finger under Ciel's chin and slowly lowered his head to bring it past Ciel's face, near his ear, murmuring in a tone of longing as he did so. "Your soul, so tantalizingly sweet; so hard to resist. I want to feast on you; to savor you... just a little."

In a state of shock, Ciel remained frozen as he felt Sebastian's lips graze his cheek. "Ah, master, my sweet master..." His lips lightly traced along his jaw, till they reached his mouth, and Ciel felt his mouth on his. Soft, sweet lips that lightly, ever so lightly, swept over his with the featheriest of touches. Flinching, Ciel brought his hand up and pushed the demon away with a shove.

"What the hell are you doing, Sebastian?" he demanded, angrily. "Get the hell off me!"

Sebastian looked at him with a mixture of abashment and yearning.

"I beg your pardon, sir." Leaning in again a bit with eyes almost closed, he whispered, "But it's been so long... Five years now I've waited. Just need... a little taste. Please. Just one..." He rested his gloved fingertips against Ciel's cheek again and caressed it gently. "Please?"

Ciel looked at Sebastian, gazing at him with ruby eyes glittering, and shivered, feeling as if he were swimming in their fiery depths. He licked his lips. He felt so confused. Sebastian wanted to... kiss him? And this would somehow appease his hunger a little for his soul? He could understand his butler's distress, at least a little; it must be hard on him. And somehow, he was not completely averse to it. Perhaps it was just curiosity, he reasoned to himself... In any case, the least he could do was allow him this one request, if would ease his torment so much to do so.

He couldn't believe he was doing this. But what the hell, he told himself.

"Alright, fine. Just one, mind you." Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back, and waited.

An instant later Ciel gasped as he felt the full weight of Sebastian's lips on his, drawing on them tenderly but hungrily; soft, hot, wet kisses that sent almost painful jolts of electricity down his torso and into his stomach, making him shudder with delight. The demon's hands came round his head, tangling his fingers in his hair and lightly scraping his scalp with his finger tips. Even gloved as they were, they still sent shivers up and down Ciel's spine when they did, making his eyes close involuntarily with pleasure. He felt the demon's hands then cup his face as his mouth left his, thumb softly stroking his cheek, and opening his eyes was treated to the close up sight of glowing red eyes just inches away from his own, scintillating with demonic fire. His eyes closed again as that mouth fell back on his, and continued its assault on his own all too eager lips, to his dismay.

He had said one kiss, and one kiss only—what was Sebastian thinking? He guessed that it was at least partly due to the fact that his butler was still slightly under the influence of the demon drug. He couldn't pretend that he really minded though, he had to admit, being honest with himself. He had never felt anything like this before. This was so... He needed to breathe, but he also needed this to never end. Never... end... The kiss deepened, as he found himself reciprocating, a little tentatively at first, but then more enthusiastically as he got the feel for it. Unused to kissing, Ciel was soon gasping for air. Of course, this was a demon he was kissing, and demons were known for being, well… good at this sort of thing, he knew.

"Sebastian," he mumbled between kisses. "Sebastian, we should… Aaah…" As soon as he did, he felt the demon's tongue swiftly venture in, to lightly tap and stroke against his own. He found himself responding, hesitantly at first with his own, gliding up against the nubbly-smooth surface of the other's tongue. The action felt weird and slightly depraved but oddly thrilling, and he mimicked the action as best he could. He forgot what he was trying to say as the kiss continued, the demon drawing and pulling at his mouth, and then playing with his upper lip, lightly sucking on it and nibbling it. He shuddered at the sensation this induced in him, gasping softly. He then felt Sebastian's tongue lightly swipe along his lower lip, and then glide in past his teeth once more. He moaned at the pleasure that it induced, ripples of delight cascading down his body, the sensuous feel of his butler's tongue gliding up and down and tugging at his. Ciel shivered with a combination of fear and desire. He knew this had to stop, and stop soon, or else… or else he felt his very soul would be in danger.

"Aaah, you taste so good, young master. Mmm, ah, yes. So very, very good." Once more the demon dipped his tongue into Ciel's receptive mouth, stroking and flicking about every part of it, tasting and drinking him in it seemed, and murmuring words that Ciel could only barely hear. He knew there was something… something he had to do, but he couldn't think what it was, and it was his turn to now feel like he was drunk, light-headed; as if he were drowning once more, this time in a sea of fiery yearning, red as the eyes of the demon. Ciel was dazzled, dumbfounded, that he could feel this way, that kissing the demon could do such things to him, make him feel so incredibly good, make him need it to go on forever; make him need even more. How was it possible? A demon, his butler… And not only that, a…

What was he doing? He suddenly broke from his rapture as the realization hit him. He was kissing his butler, a man! And he was enjoying it—actually enjoying it! This was wrong, so wrong. He needed to put a stop to it, before it went any further… before he didn't want to stop it from going further.

"Se… Sebas…" he mumbled between kisses, trying to speak, but without much success, their mouths alternately opening and sealing back together in kiss after sensuous kiss.

"Sebastian, stop!" He finally mustered the presence of mind to utter the command. Both relief and disappointment washed over him as his mouth was released and his body relinquished abruptly from his butler's arms to almost fall backwards, leaving him panting and bereft.

He looked at the demon hovered over him, his eyes opened wide in seeming horror.

"Master, I am sorry," his butler stammered slightly. "I have committed a grave transgression against you." He bowed his head. "I beg of you forgiveness."

Ciel's mind was still clouded with the lingering intensity of the kiss, and he actually had to restrain himself from leaning forward and bringing his lips back to his butler's once more, still glistening with the residue of their recent exploits. He shook his head a little to clear it.

"Sebastian, look at me." The demon's eyes remained half closed and directed downwards still. Reaching out, Ciel put his hand under his chin to raise it. The demon visibly trembled, and then slowly raised his head, until his eyes were looking, glazed and glowing heatedly, into Ciel's. Ciel gathered himself, taking a deep breath to try to calm his still labored breathing.

"You are not under your full faculties at the moment as yet, I believe. I should not have allowed this in the first place; it is my fault. Please do not feel you have caused any offense against me in any way. Understood?"

The sweet smile that spread over his butler's face in response made his stomach churn with a fluttery feeling. That mouth... He found himself once more fixated on that mouth, open ever so slightly as he smiled at him. He felt hypnotized by it, as well as by his eyes, glowing embers that bore into his, that then grew heavy-lidded, long lashes brushing against cheeks as he closed them. He felt his hand being tugged as Sebastian brought it once more to his mouth, not kissing it this time, but simply resting his lips against it, brushing ever so lightly against his knuckles. Ciel shuddered with delight at the feel of it, and once more was tempted to just reach out and grasp, to take, what he still longed for so much; what was his by rights to take, after all.

But Sebastian slid off the bed and rose up, releasing Ciel's hand, and stood looking down at him from his considerable height. Bowing once more, he said simply, "Yes, my lord," gazing at Ciel with such a tender look that Ciel felt it pierce his heart as if with a sharp blade. "I bid you goodnight, then. May you have pleasant dreams, my young master," he said, and then swiftly turned and walked away, coat tails fluttering gracefully behind him as he exited the room, shutting the door smoothly behind him.