Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, it is the intellectual property of Toboso Yana.

Much thanks to Hikari-Hikaru-Hikari, who beta this fanfic for me, and being a really kind and supportive beta at that! :D

– D e m o n ' s _ H e a r t –

It does when you leave me in the dark; your presence is my light.

Sebastian stood impatiently in the dining parlor. The food he had prepared this morning sat neatly on the table, cooling as the minutes ticked by.

He didn't know if Ciel still wanted to have breakfast. Did the boy not feel well when he woke up? Why did he refuse to let him into the bedroom? Could his master have developed a terrible case of chickenpox overnight and did not wish to be seen? But if that's the case, he should be at his side assisting the poor boy right now; if those bothersome blisters burst, it could leave unpleasant scars on his master's milky skin (or so he had read from a medical book ever since his young master's life-threatening asthma attack occurred last autumn). However, considering the boy was already thirteen years of age, he should have already experienced chickenpox.

But what other reasons were there to hide himself away in the bedroom? Could it be possible that Ciel had seen or heard what had passed in his own quarters last night? But there were no logical reason for Ciel to stalk his own butler... Besides, he was sure the boy was deep asleep when he left him. The demon desperately wanted to know, and his patience growing thinner and thinner by the second. No matter how many times he tried to reason with himself that it was impossible for his young master to have seen his pathetic act last night, his guilty conscience kept convincing him otherwise.

Could the young master just be throwing a tantrum?

Sebastian remembered when he was attending a ball at the Seymour's with his young master a few weeks ago. The butler of the Seymour household had engaged him in a conversation over the behavior of young boys and housekeeping in general, seeing as Sebastian's situation was similar to his own — 'They can be a pain to deal with sometimes, as they are going through the time of their lives when both their physique and subconscious are undergoing drastic changes. I really cannot blame my two young masters for their frequent tantrums and mischief,' the old fellow had said in a Cockney accent (which he was obviously attempting his best to hide), then continued to ramble on about how he had to take care of the young Seymour boys because their mother was too indolent and their father was away for business almost all year round. Sebastian had listened politely even though the conversation over such trifling matters had bored him.

But now that he thought about it, the description the Seymour butler had given almost fit his young master's behavior today — he was yelling at him for no obvious reasons, and now he was hiding away from others and refusing to eat his meals.

The demon had definitely expected better than that from Ciel. He knew he had spoiled him too much; but Sebastian had thought Ciel would be a little more mature than this... If the human child refuses to eat, then he should just leave him be — why should he care anyways? Not eating a meal or two is not going to kill anybody; there were well over hundreds of souls starving in the East End as of now. If this little brat of an earl doesn't want to have a bite of the juicy omelet or the buttery mashed potatoes that his butler had prepared early in the morning, he should just throw it away for the dogs to eat, who would probably appreciate it more than his young master would.

Hypocritically, the demon sighed for the fourth time in a worrisome manner.

Ciel sneezed for the twenty-third time as he hugged himself tightly and rubbed his arms with his small hands. He had managed to get himself into a tub of freezing water, however, he was unable to take off the nightshirt that kept clinging to him.

The cold water had taken his mind off of that dream and his little "problem" had gone away, but now his body was shaking violently from the cold. He contemplated the idea of calling for his butler to bring him towels and a change of clothes, but then he would require his help to put those complicated garments on. The boy dared not think of what his devious butler would have to say when he sees him in such a pitiable state as this.

Ciel cursed under his breath. Why is this happening to him? What had he done to earn this? Maybe Soma was right about that thing with Karma...

"A-Achoo!" The sound of his sneeze echoed loudly in the rubbed his nose in a most ungentlemanly manner .

Maybe it was time to admit defeat and call for his butler... otherwise he'd be stuck in this bathroom for the rest of the day, 'til Sebastian decides to come and tease him... Either way, he was doomed to be teased.

Ciel stood up in the tub, his shirt clinging to him, the cold air in the room making him shudder. He immediately retreated back into the water. It seemed like staying in the water would be a smarter choice.

Ciel quickly rang the bell next to him, all the while thinking of comebacks that he could use when his butler teased him. However, the demon didn't give him much time to think, and was in the bathroom in less than half a minute.

Expecting the demon to tease him and make fun of his red nose, Ciel was surprised to see what seemed to be relief in his butler's expression — almost as if he was happy to be summoned. However, that relief was soon turned into some sort of indecipherable annoyance... If Ciel knew better, he would have known that his butler was worried.

Sebastian soon left to gather some towels and returned with a stack of them. Seeing his master in such a state worried Sebastian to no end. He was at his wit's end with the boy — he first yelled at him for no obvious reasons, then skipped the most important meal of the day, and now he's soaked himself in freezing cold water. What asthma patient would soak himself in freezing cold water in the morning when he obviously knew that it's a prime factor in triggering his asthma? What has happened to the logic the boy usually displayed?

Sebastian helped Ciel out of the nightshirt then quickly wrapped layers and layers of towels around the boy, all the while thinking about how everything would be put behind schedule for today... Or perhaps he should cancel everything on today's schedule so his master could rest?

"How long have you been in the water?" Sebastian asked, his tone betraying his worry.

"Just a while," the boy replied in a nasally voice, the soft touch of the fluffy towels offering relaxation for his chilled skin.

Sebastian kept drying his young master off with towels and did not say a word.

'Why do I feel so nervous?'

"Sebastian," The boy said after a pause of silence, "I am hungry. Prepare me that cinnamon cake you made yesterday for tea. I want it as soon as we're done here." The cake had been on his mind ever since he woke up this morning; he had been starving.

"I am afraid not, young master. You need to eat something nutritious. Besides, you've already skipped breakfast today." Sebastian almost chided. He was annoyed at his master for being such a, well, such a moron! But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel —

"That's an order."

"No young master, I am going to have to make you something nutritious, such as a risotto with vegetables; it's my duty to keep you healthy." Sebastian attempted to fake a smile, but it didn't come off quite right.

"Make it taste like that cinnamon cake."

"No young master, I'm afraid that's not possible." Ciel was just being difficult now, and it's getting on the demon's nerves.

"I don't care, I want that cinnamon cake," the earl repeated with the tone of a stubborn child, a sickly one at that.

"I will make a yogurt dessert with cinnamon," Sebastian finally gave in. He didn't want to keep arguing with Ciel anymore, which was strange because that usually entertained him in his monotonous life as a butler.

Ciel smirked at his victory, but a timely sneeze wiped it off of his face.

"We need to get you in bed soon."

Without another word, Sebastian swept his young master off his feet and hurried to the bedroom.

"What the bloody hell is this? It doesn't taste even remotely like cinnamon!"

"It must be due to your cold, it has altered your sense of taste."

Ciel gave an annoyed whine, putting down the glass and spoon.

"Now, what about taking a bite of the risotto?"

"No," the boy said stubbornly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I'll cool it off for you," Sebastian smiled, cooing at Ciel as if he was a little child.

Ciel turned away and blushed deeply, the situation reminding him of that one time when Sebastian was trying to fawn over him.

As he was about to tell his butler to go away, his stomach growled loudly, which only made him blush a deeper shade of red, a blush which spread all the way to his ears.

Sebastian smiled — a genuine smile. How adorable his young master had looked just now!

The demon used the spoon to scoop up some of the risotto, blowing on in gently, then brought it close to his master's lips. "The choo choo train is coming young master, please open your mouth."

"I am not a three-year-old, you don't have to do that," Ciel mumbled with embarrassment, but nonetheless allowed his butler to put the spoon in his mouth. The risotto tasted moist and the salty taste further triggered Ciel's hunger.

"How is it, young master?"

"It's better than that tasteless yogurt," Ciel half grumbled. He didn't want to sound like he was complimenting the food, or admit that it was his own fault for being a brat about the cinnamon dessert earlier.

"I am glad that it is to your liking; it seems that you've only lost your sense of taste with sweets."

Ciel gave another annoyed grumble — of all things, he had to lose his favorite sense of taste! Life is tasteless without sweets. Curse this damned cold!

When Sebastian was getting ready to feed his master another spoonful, Ciel stopped him, took the plate and said, "I will do it myself..." then kept silent as he continued to eat.

The demon was disappointed at not being able to have some more fun with the boy, but was rather glad that the boy was eating, and looking so adorable all the while.

When Ciel was finished, Sebastian gathered the dishes and put them back on the trolley. Ciel attempted to pull the blankets over his own body and tuck himself in, but to no avail. When Sebastian finally turned around to do it for him, a disgruntled look lingered on the boy's face. Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle, pressing a kiss on his master's forehead.

Ciel stared at his butler with wide eyes for a second... Why does he feel different now? He didn't feel uncomfortable last night when his butler was kissing him, but now... Was it because of the dream he had?

"Please rest well, young master," Sebastian smiled warmly. The heat of Ciel's forehead lingered on his cool lips, and he rather hoped that his young master wouldn't develop a fever while sleeping.

Ciel turned away, hiding his face in the pillow, then made a muffled noise of approval, hinting at his butler's dismissal.

When the door closed behind Sebastian, Ciel rubbed his forehead where the demon had kissed him, the icy touch still lingering. He felt his heart racing strangely, making him feel rather dizzy. Ciel didn't know what this meant and he didn't want to think about it, therefore he was grateful that his body was finally giving into fatigue.

A/N: Thanks for all the support guys :D

Although there aren't too much reviews but the favs and alerts just keep coming in!

I feel so loved! I am not going to bitch about the number of reviews, so don't worry. I've been getting lots of positive feedbacks from other sites that I post this on also, I am very glad :)