Sebastian spent the rest of the day working, as per usual, only stopping when it came time for them all to leave for the Vigil. He made sure the notes he'd written for his eulogy were in his pocket before following everyone out to the coaches that would take them to the church. He remained silent for the entire ride, getting out of the coach and helping Ciel down once they arrived at the familiar church.
He followed the group of people inside the building. They were some of the first people there, but there were a few others already milling around. The two coffins holding the bodies were on display up near the altar, flanked by what looked like a hundred flowers on either side.
Sebastian spent the extra time before the vigil talking to other members of the church and the people who'd worked with his parents and friends of the family. He found himself getting tight hugs from people he'd never known existed before or who'd barely ever spoken to him.
"You haven't attended mass for, what, a month now? You look like you aged a couple years in that time and became a young man rather than a teenager." One of the older women commented with a happy laugh.
"A rather handsome young man, too. It's a shame you chose a life of servitude, really. I would have had half a mind to introduce you to my daughter." Another older woman agreed with a small smile.
"It's a shame about your parents. Elisabeth was always such a sweetheart. Andrew was very kind, too. Quiet, but kind. You look so much like both of them." The first woman said with a small sigh.
Sebastian talked with the women a bit longer until the call to get things started came and he parted from the pair to take his seat in the pews next to Finny. The priest called the mass to session with exchanges of peace before starting with the first of the night's prayers. Every so often, Sebastian would notice Finny yawn next to him. However, Bard would reach over and pinch him the moment the gardener started to nod off.
Sebastian was the first person to be called up to give a eulogy. He swallowed before getting up from his seat. As he walked up the aisle, Elizabeth handed him a handkerchief silently. He took it and got his notes out so he would know what to say. He took his place at the front of the congregation, swallowing as he looked out over the mass of people. He'd never really spoken to a crowd like that before. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself as much as he could.
"Firstly, I would like to thank all of you for coming here tonight. I didn't know how many people would show up, but I never imagined it would be this many. I suppose my parents touched many more lives than I ever kept track of. My mother and father's last day was spent watching me at my job and monitoring me and my master to make sure that I was doing well and was in a good place. Up until very recently, I never paid much attention to or noticed the way they did almost everything they did for my sake. They threw themselves into poverty, knowing full well what they were doing, so they would have enough money to make sure I survived past infancy. They sacrificed nearly everything for me. They always made sure I was fed when I went to bed at night, even if it meant that they had to go to sleep on an empty stomach. Sending me to work in Earl Phantomhive's manor was their last and most rewarding sacrifice for me. I imagine it must be no easy thing for a parent to send away their child, even if their child is as stubborn and headstrong as I've been told I am."
Sebastian looked away from the audience that was all watching him, glancing down at his notes, then over at Ciel. He looked over the audience once again, biting his lip before continuing. He couldn't help but notice as Grell silently slipped into an empty pew in the back of the congregation, the reaper smiling and waving to him.
"Throughout my life, I did everything I possibly could to please my parents and make them happy with me. My mother, who wore her heart on her sleeve, always told me that she loved me and that she was proud of me. My father was much more reserved, however, so I always felt I had to earn his approval. Thanks to someone I met recently, I now know that he was extremely proud of me and loved me very much. He was meaning to tell me so when he died." Sebastian continued, his voice breaking as he felt the familiar feeling of overwhelming sadness. He looked down and used the handkerchief to wipe away imaginary tears, figuring people might find it odd if he didn't cry at his parents' funeral.
"I know that they are in a much better place now, where they won't have to worry about finances or go to bed hungry ever again. I know I should be happy for them, because they're at peace. Everyone says that you shouldn't mourn a person's death, but celebrate their life instead. I wish it was easily done as it is said. In my first days away from home, I felt extremely alone and homesick, despite the fact that I was surrounded by people. The homesickness has gone away now, thankfully, but, as I mourn them, I feel alone and terrified once again. It's hard for me to believe that they're gone and that I'll never get another letter from them or another hug or anything. It hurts to think that Easter is coming soon and they won't be around to enjoy it. My mother loved the spring flowers, and it pains me that she'll never see them again, and-"
Sebastian felt himself starting to tearlessly cry, looking down at the altar to avoid all the eyes that were watching him. He tried to collect himself, so he wouldn't start openly sobbing in front of everyone watching him. He jumped when he felt a hand gently rest on his back, looking over to see Ciel next to him.
"Come on, you don't have to do anymore." He said softly, gently guiding his weeping butler back down to the pews to sit next to Finny once again.
Finny frowned at the sight of the butler crying, moving to rub his back as gently as he could so he wouldn't accidentally hurt the man. After a little while, he hugged Sebastian from the side while a few other people gave their own eulogies. "Don't worry, Mr. Sebastian. You're not the only one crying here." He whispered to the butler.
Sebastian just sat with the other servants, staying silent for the rest of the service until the priest dismissed them all with blessings of peace. Sebastian got a lot of hugs from a lot of strangers before he ended up leaving the building with the other servants, Ciel, and the Midfords. He noticed Grell standing off to the side out of the corner of his eye, the reaper slipping out and disappearing once they were all in their coaches once again.
Once they'd returned home, the Midfords and Ciel decided it was about time to start getting ready to retire for the night.
"Sebastian, don't worry about the rest of tonight's duties. Go tell the other servants the same thing and then get your nightshirt on and come back here." Ciel said as Sebastian helped him change into his pajamas.
"Master?"
"I want you to share a bed with me tonight. Today's been hard enough on you, and tomorrow will be just as bad. I don't feel right leaving you to sleep all alone." Ciel said, reaching down to gently cup his butler's cheek.
"Master, are you sure? It's very risky, especially with the Midfords here. If they found out or saw anything, you would-"
Ciel leaned down and cut Sebastian off by pressing a kiss to his lips warmly, the action silently telling his butler to stop talking.
"I'm sure, Sebastian. We won't do anything other than sleep and, maybe, kiss a few times. Nothing too terrible." Ciel said softly, pressing their foreheads together.
Sebastian nodded in understanding, letting Ciel hold him and kiss his forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can, then, sir."
"I can't wait." Ciel replied, letting his butler go.
Sebastian worked quickly to do as he'd been told, sending the other servants off to bed for the night and quickly donning his nightshirt afterwards. Once he was changed, he silently went back up the stairs to his master's room. He let himself into the room and slipped inside to join Ciel in the bed, crawling into the empty area next to his master.
"That was fast." Ciel said with a small smile as he felt the bed dip when Sebastian crept into it.
"I didn't want you to be lonely for too long, master." Sebastian replied.
"I can last a few minutes without you, believe it or not."
Sebastian just smiled and moved to wrap his arms around the smaller man and hold him close against himself. He felt Ciel lean into him and press against him lightly.
"Master?" He asked softly after a little bit.
"Yes?" Ciel replied, having buried his face in his butler's chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart.
"Are we going to stay like this? I mean, will this little relationship and these romantic rendezvous end when you marry Lady Elizabeth? Most women in the upper class marry between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, and Lady Elizabeth is eighteen as we speak. I don't know how long her parents will want to wait for her to be married." Sebastian asked, absentmindedly stroking Ciel's hair.
Ciel sighed softly at the question and held onto Sebastian a bit tighter, holding onto the fabric of his nightshirt. "I don't want to end this relationship I have with you. I don't love Elizabeth as a wife, but I'll marry her and have children with her because it's my duty. I don't expect I'll enjoy any of it. I want to keep having this relationship with you, because you make me feel safe and happy. Besides, I think it's best if we stay together while I'm married."
"Why do you think that, sir?"
"Because, I know that I'll always have someone to fall back on to keep me happy and satisfied, even if it's not my wife. By having an affair with you, I'll be able to stay nice and happy, so my marriage with Elizabeth won't suffer."
Sebastian looked down at Ciel at the answer, mulling over the thought of continuing forward to have an extramarital affair with his master, while simultaneously caring for him, his wife, and whatever children they had together. Elizabeth was sweet and kind to him, and he wasn't sure how much he liked the idea of going behind her back and stealing the affections from her husband. If she found out, she'd most likely be extremely heartbroken and angry. However, he hated the idea of being away from Ciel even more, as well as having to live with him and serve him for the rest of his life, never again getting a kiss from the man he'd loved for a majority of his life.
"I see. Very well then, we'll continue with this. It might be selfish of me, but I didn't want to give you up completely, anyways." Sebastian replied with a nod to Ciel, smiling when Ciel leaned up and kissed him warmly on the mouth.
Sebastian hugged Ciel tightly, kissing the other man in return and rubbing his back gently. They kissed and kissed and, though Sebastian wished it would never end, stopped when Ciel needed to break for air. They eventually fell asleep in each other's arms, resting next to each other happily all through the night.
When Ciel woke up the next morning, he found Sebastian already completely dressed with his morning tea ready, standing next to the bed rather than laying with him in it. Part of him wished it had been the latter, so he would be able to see for himself what Sebastian's face looked like when he was sleeping peacefully.
No matter what he wished for, however, Ciel's morning went as it usually did until breakfast ended and everyone in the manor departed for the funeral service at the church once again.
For the most part, Ciel followed along with the service, though he didn't really know what all to expect. The funeral service was more of a worshipping service than an expression of grief. The priest lead the congregation through various prayers and hymns and sermons that all seemed to praise God for Christ's victory over sin and death and commend Him for His mercy and compassion. He was personally just happy that the service had a much more lighthearted tone to it than the vigil had.
The Rite of Committal was held in a nearby cemetery, and Ciel couldn't help but wonder how a person could say so many prayers in one day. He glanced over at Sebastian as they watched the pair of coffins be lowered into the graves that were dug in front of the tombstones. He personally was glad that the tombstones had come out so nicely. Sure, the pair had spent a good portion of their lives in poverty, but he figured giving them pretty headstones was the most respectful thing he could do. After all, they gave him his butler, who he knew would soon become the best butler in the country, if not the world.
Once the burial had ended, a few people gave their last hugs and sentiments to Sebastian before leaving the cemetery to go home. Ciel watched from the sidelines as Sebastian received all the hugs, the group staying until everyone had gone.
Sebastian fought the urge to start crying once again as he just stood and looked at his parents' names engraved on the headstones, along with the flowers he and a few other people had set at the ground around them. Finny eventually went over to hug the butler tightly around the waist.
"There's no shame in crying, Mr. Sebastian. Especially for something like this." He said softly, the idea of death making him start to cry as well, even if he'd only met the pair once.
Sebastian let himself start crying tearlessly once again, promising himself it would be the last time for a while. He felt the other servants come over to hug him as well, the three of them holding onto him tightly. When they finally pulled away, Sebastian couldn't help but notice the way Mey-Rin's tears had fogged over her glasses, rendering them entirely useless. The woman didn't seem to care, though, and just continued to cling on to him.
Sebastian sighed a bit after a while. "Alright, alright, let me go now. If we stay out here much longer, we're all going to be getting fevers." He said, shaking the trio off.
With that, he walked with Ciel and the Midfords back to the coaches that were waiting to take them all home. He promised Elizabeth he'd have her handkerchief laundered and return it to her the next time she visited before the girl got into her family's coach.
"Thank you, Sebastian. I don't think you'll have to wait too long, though. Mother thinks it's high time we really started on wedding preparations, and I think Father agrees." The girl replied to him, smiling up at the butler. "I'll be sure to let you know before we all come, though, so you have plenty of time to put your hair back. Maybe that way, Mother won't pick on you as much."
Sebastian smiled to her gently in reply. "Thank you, lady Elizabeth. Your consideration is heartwarming."
"You're sweet, Sebastian. I can't wait until I can call you my butler, too." Elizabeth replied, letting him help her up into her coach so she could go back home with her family.
"We'll be eagerly awaiting your call, Miss. I fear the manor will be rather dull without you to liven it up."
Elizabeth grinned at him happily and waved to Ciel and the servants as Sebastian shut the door of her coach, letting the driver take them home.
Sebastian rode home with Ciel and the other three servants, life returning to it's usual routine. He spent his days working in the manor, and spent any free time he had trying to study more and more skills from books in the manor's library that might make him an even better butler. He found he had become an extremely quick study, especially since he didn't necessarily have to sleep.
Instead, he started to keep watch over the house at night while the others slept. He taught himself to play the piano in the drawing room, as well as how to tune it when he realized the keys didn't sound quite right. Once he had decided he'd practically mastered the piano, he moved on to teach himself to play the violin, often finding himself playing by candlelight or moonlight while the rest of the house slept. What he poured most of his interest into, however, was demonology. He knew the books in the manor's library probably weren't the most accurate things, but they were a lot better than nothing. One night, when he felt especially daring, he stole away into the kitchen to see exactly how close he could get to a little pile of salt he'd poured out on the countertop. In the end, he found that there was nothing painful about the salt or anything about it that could really harm him. The only thing that made him wary of it was the small inkling in the back of his head that it wasn't a substance to be trusted and ought to be approached with caution. It wouldn't hurt him, but for some reason, he still didn't like it and didn't want to have anything to do with it.
Soon enough, the phone call came that made him finally acknowledge the inevitable.
"So, will everything be alright if they come over tomorrow? Just for the day, really, I don't think they're planning on staying over night." The Midford's servant asked over the phone the next morning.
"Of course it is. When should we expect them?" Sebastian replied, wondering if Ciel had any idea how to help plan a wedding.
"Expect them around ten, but no later than elven."
"Wonderful. I'll be sure to tell my master right away."
"Mr. Sebastian, who's on the phone?" Finny whispered to him, the gardener having nothing to do but shake snow off of trees every so often. Sebastian just held a finger to his lips to shush him until after the phone call had ended.
"Who was on the phone, Mr. Sebastian?" Finny asked again as he hung it up on the stand.
"A servant from the Midford house." Sebastian replied to the gardener.
"And? What did they say? What were you talking about?" Finny asked eagerly, bouncing where he stood.
Sebastian rested his hands on the other's shoulders to hold him still. "The Midford family will be paying a visit here tomorrow in order to start on wedding preparations for Master and Lady Elizabeth's wedding."
Finny grinned at that, starting to bounce around happily once again. "Lady Elizabeth's coming over again? Do you think she'll bring us presents?"
"Finnian, you can't just presume she's going to bring presents every time she visits."
Finny didn't hear him, though, because the gardener had already run off to tell Tanaka, Bard, and Mey-Rin that Elizabeth was coming and would probably bring them gifts.
Sebastian just shook his head and continued with his work as he heard the group celebrating in the kitchen, wondering when his coworkers had all gotten so stupid.