Chapter Twelve
"How bad is it?" Ciel asked, using all his might not to touch the scorched span of skin. It was an angry red with blotches of dark brown, most of them nearly black in color. Most of Sebastian's back and the backside of his left arm down to his wrist were severely burned. Claude had remarked earlier that it was by some miracle that he wasn't turning to ash with so extensive an area affected.
Golden eyes regarded the boy's expression of genuine worry. Ciel was still very pale even two days after their encounter with Undertaker, but after finding some food for him, he seemed to have gained a majority his strength back. "I'm hardly a doctor, but if he wakes up he should be fine," he replied. He pointedly caught Ciel's eyes. "But he'll be hungry. Blood consumption will help him heal faster."
Ciel nodded with a sparkle of indefinite fear in his eyes as his mind's eye imagined a blood-thirsty monster in place of Sebastian. "I understand."
Claude half doubted that but he said nothing. Sebastian was still alive somehow, but he had yet to gain consciousness. Through blood transfers and small animals, he and Alois had managed to heal most of their wounds. His previously dislocated and cracked shoulder still ached, and he was sure Alois' fractured cheekbone still had yet to heal fully. He had told the boy earlier that he and Alois would stay as long as needed, but he was starting to get a little anxious.
"Is it possible that he won't wake up?" Ciel questioned quietly, not looking at either of them.
Alois was the one to answer despite his lack of experience for such things. "If he's still here right now, I'm sure he'll wake up. He's probably just healing from the inside-out. Right, Claude?"
"Of course," he agreed.
Sebastian was nearly drowning in a sea of pain that he'd wished to never endure based on others' experiences. He wondered countless times if he was truly dead, but the searing pain was constant, telling him differently. And because of this small realization and fight left within him, a small, needlepoint thread of coolness drifted through his body, slowly healing him.
Red eyes cracked open with a large amount of difficulty, his beyond stiff body tensing to the point where it hurt. He let out a shallow breath as if that'd make him feel better.
"Sebastian?"
Surprisingly enough, the wounded vampire recognized the voice immediately, and it was a huge relief to him that he did. His lips were dry and he was reminded of his thirst. As soon as Ciel came into his line of sight, his throat burned for nutrition, for hot, thick, juicy blood. But even as his instincts screamed at him to lunge at the boy to feed, his body was much too weak to even attempt the movement. "Ci-Ciel."
It could have been his eyesight, but Ciel still looked as pale as he'd found him. A warning bell in the back of his mind told him not to feed, but his instincts pushed it to the back of his mind. His fangs elongated yet he kept his mouth firmly shut. The boy lay down beside him, his twin blue eyes shining in the darkness despite how frail he appeared, looking smaller than usual in his replaced shirt. A lone and tiny wrist was held out before him.
"Go ahead, drink," Ciel offered, and before the boy could repeat himself with a slightly harsher tone, Sebastian was overwhelmed by his hunger and viciously bit into the flesh presented before him. Ciel winced with the tiniest of whimpers, but his brief look of pain disappeared when the fangs retracted.
He didn't know how long he'd been feeding, but a hand pushed Ciel's wrist away from his bloodstained mouth sometime later. Ciel moved out of his sight as the same hands pulled the boy up. "You'll feed again when he's gained some color," Claude's voice told him somewhere overhead. Knees filled his vision now, Claude's hands now just resting on the back of his neck, causing Sebastian to wince. "I've collected some salve and bandages to cover up your wounds…it'll be painful, but it's for the best."
Sebastian didn't reply, but he nodded, managing to pull his right arm up to stuff his fist in his mouth.
Even with either Alois or Ciel brushing his bangs back in comfort, and no matter how gentle Claude attempted to be, the whole process was agonizing. Pieces of his shirt that had stuck in with his flesh had to be pulled out, creating open wounds that stung and bled like hell. Warm and then cold water mixed with some alcohol was spread over his back and arm to cleanse his injuries properly, and then the cool salve was spread. Sebastian had to think that his hand would need some repair too when Claude tightly wrapped bandages around his body in order to finish the job.
When all was done, Alois said something about hunting and eventually the two left to do just that. Dozing a little, Sebastian half smiled when Ciel crawled back over to him, the side of his face slightly orange from a dimly burning candle some way off. He laid back down facing him, cold fingers gently running along his cheekbone, a small smile curling his lips as well.
"Will you be alright?" the human asked after some time.
It was easier to talk, but his chest felt constricted nonetheless. "Yes," he replied, glancing down as he felt Ciel's hand rest upon his. He could tell Ciel wanted him to feed. "I'll drink when Claude says I can until I gain my strength back, you needn't worry." Ciel still looked doubtful, but didn't push the matter.
"What are you going to do with Angela?" the boy asked again after a lengthy silence.
Sebastian had almost forgotten about her. "Where is she?"
Ciel nodded his head back. "Here with us. She hasn't woken up yet because she's been in some kind of comatose state all this time. Do you know why?"
This dilemma more than likely had something to do with Undertaker's hypnosis. Sebastian didn't have much knowledge of the ability, but he found that it was safe to assume that such a thing could be abused to an extent. Perhaps Angela had been under his influence her whole vampire life. Could she just be a hollow shell now? They didn't touch her as far as he could remember.
"We'll have to see in time," he said, secretly resenting the woman even though he knew none of what happened was her fault. Changing the subject, Sebastian turned his full attention back onto Ciel. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Oh how he wanted to reach out and touch the boy, but he was infuriatingly limited to looking.
"I'm fine," Ciel said, and Sebastian had a twinge of doubt, but he honestly couldn't see anything wrong with the boy. "The toxins he injected in me have worn off…and he only left a couple small scratches."
"What 'toxins'?" If Undertaker had put anything in Ciel that would physically or mentally alter him…
"They were just to render me immobile," Ciel explained, seeing the beginnings of rage starting to paint Sebastian's expression. "Really, I'm okay. He didn't do anything that would leave permanent damage."
Although Sebastian wanted to argue the fact, he kept his mouth shut. "Did Claude and Alois manage to give you your blood back?" His mind's eye constructed a crystal clear view of the plastic pouch Undertaker had held up for him to see.
For some reason Ciel colored and looked away, almost as if he was embarrassed; or maybe even a little nervous? "I…I told them to split half of it between them and then give the rest of it to you…when you were unconscious."
Under any other circumstance Sebastian would have seethed. Claude and Alois had no right to take Ciel's precious blood…even if Ciel offered it to them himself. Holding back callous comments behind his teeth, Sebastian nodded in acceptance. Claude hadn't been in great shape the last he saw him, and he was sure taking Ciel's blood had helped the other vampire greatly. He groaned in frustration despite these hard facts.
Ciel scooted closer to him. "I promise I'll never do that again. They're both okay now and can feed themselves," he assured, and Sebastian had no choice but to have faith in the human's word. Ciel looked at him with worry, obviously wishing for the vampire's anger to dissipate. He pressed his lips gently yet firmly upon Sebastian's, as if to take all his pain away.
Sebastian let his eyes droop as he weakly kissed back, his position anything but advantageous. But it hardly mattered now as he let Ciel thoughtfully snuggle up to him, careful not to nudge any of his fresh wounds. With his good arm, he slowly draped it across the boy's back for comfort before they both fell into a peaceful sleep.
"But Claude, what are we going to do with Angela?" Alois protested with a whine, hardly taking to the idea of just leaving her defenseless. He shifted on the bottom stair, looking between Claude and the still cataleptic white haired vampire. "I feel bad leaving her by her lonesome. What if someone comes by?"
Adjusting his grip on Sebastian and causing the other to wince slightly, Claude sighed. "I've already told you, we'll come back for her. She'll be safe here for now."
Alois still appeared unconvinced, looking between the two. When Claude turned on his heel, the blonde became anxious and reluctantly climbed the rest of the stairs where Ciel docilely waited for him. Claude and Sebastian were already halfway across the room. Catching up, the youngest two of the group walked in silence behind the two older vampires. When they reached the foyer bathed in moonlight, the group stopped.
Leaning down, Alois held his hands out behind him, gesturing for Ciel to climb on his back much like how Claude held Sebastian. Hardly as reluctant as and more understanding than Sebastian had been, the boy wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck and Alois hoisted him up without effort, tucking his arms underneath Ciel's knees.
"I'll stop if you need me to," Claude said, smirking when Sebastian kicked him.
"I'll be fine," the crimson-eyed vampire bit out, hardly liking his pride hurt with his current injuries still agonizingly painful despite all the blood he'd consumed in the last two days since he had woken. "Just take the fastest and smoothest route back, understood?"
In all seriousness, Claude replied, "Of course, but please take my offer into consideration." He received another boot, but ignored it, rolling his eyes at the other vampire's stubbornness.
With that they set off, Claude setting an appropriate pace that wouldn't hurt Sebastian but still give them enough time to cover the mileage they had to travel that night. Although Claude chose the best route he knew, Sebastian's claws still dug into his shoulders, yet he didn't protest even once. For a while he could hear Alois and Ciel talking, but it soon became apparent that the boy had fallen asleep.
The night was three-quarters through when the cluster of caves came into view. Slowing their pace, Claude walked through the brush and looped around the gnarled trees, his shoes clicking softly when they hit limestone. "Put me down," Sebastian said quietly, and Claude obliged, albeit slowly and cautiously.
"Should I wake him?" Alois questioned, cocking his head in reference to the human sleeping against his back.
Gripping the other vampire's shoulder for support, Sebastian shook his head. "Just lay him on the cushions when we go in." Alois nodded with a beaming smile, starting for the mouth of the cave and instantly disappearing into its shadows. Following at a unhurried pace, Claude and Sebastian walked through the couple winding turns of the tunnel until they saw candlelight emitting from the main pocket of the cave. Alois was already sitting with Ciel's head on his lap, about a dozen candles already blazing soft glows.
"You can stay if you'd like," Sebastian proposed, gradually lowering himself to sit next to the youngest vampire, hardly up to travelling all the way to the back of the cave. "It's the least I can offer you two."
Icy-blue eyes sparkled. "Can we, Claude?" Alois asked hopefully, like a small child who heard he might be receiving candy.
The vampire in question raised a brow. "What about Angela?" he countered sardonically.
Alois made a face of discomfort, obviously torn. However, his unwillingness to leave outweighed his concern for the unconscious vampire. "But I'm too tired to go all the way back," he moaned, his hand absently petting Ciel's hair. "We'll go back first thing tomorrow night!"
Thankfully Claude didn't think going back to Angela was too urgent either, and he gave into the blonde's protests. "You'll want to steer clear of the entrance," Sebastian warned them when the taller pulled Alois to his feet, being mindful of Ciel the whole time. "You two don't want to be in my predicament, if you know what I mean."
Alois visibly cringed, taking Claude's hand and steering them away. "Can we go to the back, then?"
"Be my guests," Sebastian replied. Claude nodded at him in appreciation, picking up his pace as the blonde tugged on his hand.
Alone, the raven haired vampire sighed, tilting his head back against the rock and closing his eyes. His back and arm were stiff and ached, but were definitely healing. Ciel's blood helped considerably, but these types of burns would take much longer to fully recover from than any other injury he could suffer.
Glancing down at Ciel's curled-up form, Sebastian ran a hand down the boy's back. His thoughts drifted, almost scaring him. Ciel had to miss his family…he'd been away from them for months now. 'Drain him,' he thought traitorously, and he shook his head, knowing deep within that he'd kill himself before he let Ciel die. Draining him would change nothing...and he'd instantly regret it and berate himself selfish and truly monstrous. 'Turn him,' he thought instead, remembering Undertaker's words, albeit twisted in this sense.
But this thought didn't settle well with Sebastian either. His inner beast snarled at him for changing this much. He knew what he had gotten into that night he silently declared Ciel to be far above mere food.
Ciel suddenly turned, pulling Sebastian from his thoughts. Yawning, the boy's eyes blinked blearily open. Realizing where he was, Ciel relaxed, immediately turning to Sebastian. Smiling softly, the boy moved closer to the vampire and rested his head on his good shoulder, his hand finding Sebastian's and interlacing their fingers.
"How much do you truly miss your family?" Sebastian reluctantly questioned. Perhaps his time with Ciel had run its course. The boy would only be a distraction to other predators, and Ciel didn't deserve to go through anything else.
Bright azure eyes looked up at him in surprise. "Very much," Ciel replied, his voice soft, betraying his appearance. "I'd love to see them all again." Then his expression changed into one of apprehension so fast Sebastian almost missed it. "Why?"
Sebastian remained silent, leaving Ciel to figure it out for himself. Once realization dawned on the boy, the vampire hardly expected the boy's reaction to be so…
"What are you – you can't-! How dare you do this to me-you-!" Ciel stood up in a manner that could only be described as undignified. He threw his hands in the air, his face an expression highlighted with shock and disbelief, along with some hidden hurt. And yet, when Sebastian squinted, he could also see happiness.
"…how on earth do you expect me to-to-" the boy fell to his knees beside him, looking completely torn. If he returned home, there'd be under no circumstances a chance of seeing Sebastian again. If he remained with Sebastian, however, he'd have to sacrifice his family. "They've probably already proclaimed me dead!"
Catching Ciel's wrist as it sailed through the air Sebastian brought it to his lips, effectively silencing the boy. "That may be, but for your safety, I strongly urge you to go back," he said, dropping Ciel's hand and taking his chin in between his fingers. "I can see it in your eyes; you miss them too much."
It was obvious Ciel tried to glare at him, but it only came out half-hearted. "And you, a vampire, are willing to let me, your food, go? Just like that?" His tone made for his lack of expression. He jerked his chin out of Sebastian's grasp, and was about to stand, but the other snatched both his wrists to keep him in place.
"Don't you dare spew such things like they don't matter!" he hissed, trying in vain to keep his movements to a minimum. "You are not food to me, not anymore, understand?" Ciel's lips had turned into a thin line, his eyes downcast and stormy as he weighed his options. Softening his voice for both their sakes, Sebastian continued, "I don't want to expose you to danger anymore…and staying with me will do just that."
Ciel tried to break his hold again, but Sebastian kept him firmly in place. "Vampires make horrible romantics," the human said, his voice now a mixture of pain and mockery.
Sebastian raised a hand to touch the boy's face. "Ciel-"
"Don't," said human protested, refusing to look Sebastian in the eye. The red-eyed creature remained silent, expecting Ciel to continue, but he said nothing more. For a moment Sebastian thought that Ciel may be crying, and he tentatively tilted the boy's head up to reveal a miserably dry face.
Lips attached to his own faster than he could comprehend, a hand lightly wrapping around his neck and then sliding down to trace around the crucifix burn that had been inflicted the night they met. Sebastian pressed back as much as he could as a silent apology, but Ciel broke their contact just as quick as he had initiated it and was back on his feet…fleeing.
The strongest urge to chase after the boy was overwhelming, but Sebastian remained firmly in place. Adrenaline could erase his pain for however long he needed it, but he could only imagine how horrible he'd feel afterward. The thought of hollering for Claude and Alois came to mind, but he didn't bother with that either.
Leaning back, Sebastian closed his eyes. Ciel's scent lingered for now, but soon it would be gone. And when he returned to his true home, that would be devoid of the boy altogether. Ciel would be back where he belonged, the only evidence of his exposure to vampires being his two small scars upon his neck…which were easily concealable.
Forcing himself to chuckle under his breath as he imagined Ciel dealing with his everyday reality, Sebastian licked his lips, lapping up the last remnants of the boy.
A/N: Gah this is so mushy. But I suppose you lovely readers are eating it all up, this nice platter of fluffy-angst, yes? I'll have to make some cookies later, I'm hungry now. Anywhoosle, thank you a zillion for reading, and please feel free to tell me what you think!
...Oh, and I hate to drop the bomb, but this is the second to last chapter ((hides and throws out slices of cake with rainbow sprinkles))
