Upon returning to the manor, Ciel felt the weight of ten tons leave his shoulders as he saw that nothing had been burned, tarnished, or otherwise destroyed. He sighed, casting a sideways glance at his butler.
"I am glad everything seems to be in order. I half expected the placed to be a pile of rubble by the time we returned."
"Yes, sir. It seems as though the rest of the servants were able to perform to basic standards. It is nothing I couldn't fix myself at any rate. It would not be the first time I had to restore a razed mansion, after all."
Ciel snapped his head in his butler's direction, glaring. "Watch it, you. I'll have none of your tone today."
And there it was…
There was no quip, no chuckle, no sickeningly sweet smile and affectionate bow of a graceful head. There was only silence, and a hollowness behind the eyes of an otherwise mighty creature. Ciel knew full well that Sebastian had sustained a severe injury during his altercation with the Undertaker aboard the Campania, but he hadn't thought it would take more than a few minutes to heal completely. As a demon, Sebastian's ability to sustain injury and heal was unparallelled, and nothing short of otherworldly. Still, Ciel could tell in the subtle way the butler shifted his weight, the barely noticeable raggedness in the rising and falling of his chest, the almost inaudible roughness in the demon's throat when he spoke, that all was still not well.
Ciel was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of thundering footsteps.
"The Young Master and Sebastian have returned!" Came the cacophonous cry of the servants as they raced toward their charge and his butler. As they got close enough, they leapt through the air and captured Ciel and Sebastian in an embrace. Amid the chaos, Ciel heard no sigh of frustration or annoyance, only a grunt and hitched breath.
"Yes yes, it is nice to see you all again. I trust you've been keeping things in order while I'm gone."
"Yes sir! We been keepin' everything ship shape yes we have!" Mey Rin beamed.
"Yeah, we been real bored witout you 'ere though." Bard placed a hand on the back of his neck.
"I've planted some new flowers in the garden! You should go and see them soon, Young Master!" Finny clutched a single daisy in his hand, still attached to a clump of dirt and roots.
"Ho, ho, ho!" Tanaka chimed, using a paper fan to circulate the air around his face.
"Yes, well, I am quite exhausted. You lot take my effects and put them away? Start lunch preparations while you're at it."
"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" And with that, the four servants scurried off. Ciel looked back to Sebastian, who was staring angrily at the dirt Finny's daisy had scattered about the floor. Ciel turned his head absently in the direction the servants had exited the room, and when he looked back, the dirt was gone.
"I shall see to it that they perform the tasks as you have specifi-"
"YOU are going to go lay down. Do not think I am so oblivious as to not notice your state. You are still injured and in need of rest. Is that understood, Sebastian?" Ciel's voice was cold and authoritarian, but Sebastian knew the place from which the boy's statement came. The child was worried about him. How ridiculous. How intriguing.
"Young Lord I assure you I am qui-" Before Sebastian could finish, Ciel took his cane and roughly poked the demon in chest with it, making sure to hit the mark where he knew a gaping wound still marred Sebastian's chest and back. The demon wheezed, and fell to a knee, clutching the wound. Pain shot through every nerve in his body, and his ears began to ring.
"You are not. Now, you will go and rest yourself. It is unsightly and inefficient for you to be walking around when you are wounded." Ciel sighed, concern finally creeping into his words. "That's an order."
Sebastian decided it best not to speak again, as he was sure whatever language would leave his lips would not be of this Earth. His nerves continued to misfire as he stood, bowed as low as he could muster, and limped down the hallway toward his room.
Ciel looked after the wounded demon, desperately trying to swallow the worry that collected in his throat. He would check on Sebastian later, perhaps after lunch. After lunch, a short nap, and even after dinner, he decided to finally make the journey to the servant's quarters. He knew which one was Sebastian's room because he had assigned it himself. The last door on the right. He walked up to it and, feeling bold, turned the knob without knocking. He looked about the room, and noticed the edges of it swirling and wavering like ripples on water. On Sebastian's bed, as he half expected, the demon lay curled into a tight position. Shadows blanketed him like an evening snow, and Ciel could make out two ferociously glowing eyes that did not meet him when he entered.
Ciel felt the edges of his mind begin to fray as a series of hisses and guttural words left the demon's throat. He staggered for a moment, steeling himself shortly after.
"Who do you think? Right yourself and speak to me proper, you nuisance." Another choked wheezing sound as the mass on the bed shifted, and the shadows in the room began to fade and retreat.
"It is highly uncalled for for the master of the house to stoop himself to visiting the room of a servant. What are you doing here, master?"
"What was that language? Was that a demon's tongue?"
"Yes. I had hoped your ears would never have to hear it. Too much, and a human's mind will begin to bend. However, your penchant for not knocking when you enter a room has defeated my efforts this day." Sebastian laid back down on the bed, returning his head to the pillow he had been using. Truly, he enjoyed the comforts of human sleeping habits. They were a sublime luxury he did not often indulge in, and he found it a shame that he was so uncomfortable. He hadn't noticed Ciel padding over to the edge of the bed. He climbed up onto it, and sat on his knees.
"Does it really hurt that bad? I've never seen you like this before."
"There are not many things in this world capable of laying a demon low. A death scythe is one of them. I count myself among the fortunate. It could have gone a lot worse for me." Ciel could hear Sebastian's ragged breath much more clearly now, and every so often the demon writhed with discomfort. "This will not kill me, but it very well could have if it had been but two inches to the left." The demon gestured to his heart.
"You… have a heart?" Ciel swallowed the lump in his throat, daring not to entertain the thought of what would have happened if Sebastian had not returned home.
"Yes, of course I do. Fundamentally we are not so different, you and I. Though it is true that I can become anything, and become nothing, I do still have a core. I am still a being. Mostly, I admit, a lot of my first appearance was just for show. I do have a reputation to uphold, do I not?" Sebastian attempted to smile, but it was laced with pain and fatigue.
"Is there… anything I can do to help you?"
"My my, is the young lord worried for his lowly butler?"
"Wh- I, No! I just want you back to full capacity as soon as possible!" Ciel sputtered. "What good is a butler if all he can do is lay in bed all day?" Ciel crossed his arms, hearing a weak chuckle. He opened his eyes, startled, as a weak hand grasped his shirt, pulling him forward. Ciel gasped as he found himself suddenly wrapped up in the embrace of the demon. Sebastian's body curled around him, and he felt warmth spreading through his extremities. "Git! What are you doing!? This is abhorent behavio-"
"Shhhh…" Cooed the demon. "I will not harm you. You should know that by now."
"Then what the bloody hell are you doing?" Ciel struggled, but soon found himself more curious than anything else. Sebastian pressed his ear against Ciel's chest in several spots, listening for something very important. When he had found the correct spot, his eyes widened slightly before a look of peace and calm spread across his face. His eyes glowed brilliantly for a moment, before fluttering closed. After an estimated five minutes, or perhaps it was more, Ciel felt the demon's breathing grow less ragged, and it began to slow to an even keel.
"Is he… Is he listening to my heartbeat?" Ciel wondered as he relaxed in the demon's arms. Sebastian was a strange demon, that much had been clear to Ciel for quite some time. However, Ciel was having trouble wrapping his mind around the situation at hand. An almost life-threatening injury, and all Sebastian wanted was comfort? That was almost too bizarre, even for him. Still, he could not bring himself to remove himself from the demon. He could not deny that it was nice to be swaddled by the arms of someone again, even if that someone would ultimately bring his destruction. He hadn't noticed that he had begun playing with Sebastian's hair. The impossibly soft strands flowed through his fingers like shadowy rivulets. Sebastian's breathing was quiet and slow, and Ciel wondered if he had fallen asleep. He knew that demons saw sleep as a recreational activity, but he wondered if it helped them heal, too. Ciel yawned, feeling his own eyelids grow heavy. He decided it wouldn't be so bad to sleep here for the night.
In the morning, Ciel yawned as he came to full consciousness. He stretched, his eyes flying open as he realized that he was in his own bed.
"I'm in my bed? But…" He was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door.
"Young Master, it's time to wake up." Called the silken voice from the other side of the door. "I've brought your morning tea and a light breakfast." The door opened, and in strode the impossibly perfect butler, pushing the cart containing Ciel's breakfast choices. His steps no longer dragged, and he no longer looked to be experiencing any kind of discomfort. His face glowed, unusually radiant for such a dull morning. "You've a busy day ahead of you. Rise and shine."
"Sebastian. How are you feeling this morning?" Ciel asked cautiously, wondering if he had simply dreamt last night's events.
"Fit as a fiddle! After all, if I could not shake off some trifling injury, well, what kind of butler would I be?" Sebastian poured a steaming hot cup of tea, offering it to Ciel. "I appreciate my master's care and concern for my health. As a lowly servant I am undeserving of such attention."
"Nonsense. I cannot have my butler feeling less than his best. After all, you would do the same for me, would you not?" Sebastian bowed, turning on his heel along with the cart.
"Yes, my Young Lord. In a heartbeat."