Okay you guys, I know this is early and irregular and such, but I couldn't BARE to keep this chapter waiting any longer. This chapter has surpassed chapter 16 and I just need to share it. I can't wait for all your reactions! You've all waited so patiently.
It isn't a lemon, but those WILL happen, and I'm thinking it won't take to awful long from here!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I really do. I'm excited for feedback. Especially from my lovely Muse.
I shall see you all again in two weeks. I hope our had a wonderful new year!
Ta,
Majix
Skilled fingers glided down the Earl's abdomen with torturous precision, leaving a trail of scalding heat in their wake. Ciel couldn't stop of the mewl of pleasure that escaped his lips at the heat of Sebastian's touches.
They really couldn't even be defined as purely sexual. The butler had made no move to do anything but touch his skin, caressing the teen's muscles, watching him arch and gasp under the attention.
The elder dipped his head, the warmth of the demon's bare skin making the blue haired male gasp softly. His lips were so close to the sensitive column of his throat, and Ciel was almost positive that he would've been willing to sell his soul a second time just to feel that sinfully beautiful mouth against his throat; licking, sucking, biting. Anything Sebastian was willing to give, but the ancient was ignoring that desire.
The butler inhaled deeply, holding himself at the curve of the bluenette's neck and Ciel wanted to demand that he hurry, that Sebastian stop teasing him, but that'd ruin it. The entire spell would be broken.
Soft strands of raven black hair brushed the well defined rise of Ciel's collarbone and a shiver ran down his spine, drawing a sharp breath from the teen. The sudden flush of air made his head swim, and the younger man realized, quite breathlessly, that he'd been holding his breath as the demon teased him.
The warm pads of Sebastian's fingertips never left his skin entirely. For short moments, they would linger, making the teen's skin heat up from the contact. But as Sebastian continued his exploration, and the cool air washed over his warmed flesh, a faint pepper of goosebumps scattered across his skin, and though he couldn't see it, Ciel could practically feel the dark haired man's victorious smile.
Knowing lips pressed a merciful kiss to the hollow of Ciel's throat, a choked moan lingering on his parted lips. After that first brush of contact, Sebastian seemed to almost attack his neck, pressing hot, open mouthed kisses along his throat before finally settling over the steady thrum of the teen's erratic pulse, sucking deeply.
The pleasure of the demon's mouth made the Earl's back arch from the bed, pressing his thin torso against the rumpled material of Sebastian's half undone uniform. A groan of disappointment pulled from the blue haired male's lips. He longed to feel flesh on flesh, to feel the intense burn of the demon's skin against his own, and in that moment, he wished more than anything that Sebastian would make the annoying article of clothing disappear.
Unyielding hands gripped the teen's hips and held them to the bed, making Ciel whimper with desire. The way Sebastian so effortlessly moved his body, controlled him, it made him painfully aroused, leaving him to whimper helplessly as Sebastian teased and tormented his neck, leaving a very public claiming upon his throat.
Just as Ciel found himself prepared to beg, the demon released his neck, giving the darkened mark a soothing kiss before gliding up and nipping his earlobe, "Tell me what you want… Ciel."
The honey smooth baritone of Sebastian's voice along with the pronunciation of his first name made the teen's pupils blow wide with lust, his breathing quickening, "Sebastian!"
Ciel sat straight up in bed, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. Mismatched eyes were wide, startled even and he quickly looked around his darkened room before a dull throb caught his attention.
The teen glanced down, a dark ruby flush scalding his cheeks at his very obvious erection. Shame flooded his system as he considered what made him that hard in the first place, or rather who. It was so dark, so tempting to reach down and just brush his fingers over his aroused member, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He was a noble, and as such, he was below such things. But oh how he wanted to.
It'd all been so real. The way Sebastian held him, the way he teased and taunted him before flooding his system with pleasure. And he did all of those things without even having touched him in a directly sexual way. It was overwhelming.
A soft knock at the door startled the bluenette, "Y-yes?"
Ciel mentally cursed for the brief stutter, flogging himself within his mind for a show of such weakness but before he could continue, Sebastian's rich voice carried through the thick wood of his bedroom door, "I heard you call for me, young Master. Is everything alright?"
The teen took a deep breath and instantly found himself thankful that Sebastian always knocked first. The embarrassment of Sebastian walking in to find his Master aroused after apparently calling out his name would've been to much to bare.
Ciel cleared his throat and ran his hands over his face, "I'm fine, Sebastian. Just another nightmare."
His eyes felt heavy, and though Ciel did not usually condone lying to his butler, in some ways, he wasn't. This really was a nightmare. It was bad enough that he'd realized his feelings, terrible enough that Sebastian was a man, not to mention that he was the immortal that planned to consume his soul. The entire situation was impossible, it was a nightmare from start to finish, but now it was even worse. Now his desires were manifesting within his dreams. He hadn't even had time to swallow his own feelings for the elder before his physical desires had made themselves known. It would be foolish to think, even for a second, that he would be able to keep the knowledge from Sebastian if things kept progressing as they were.
"Is there anything I can get for you?"
Ciel wanted to send the demon away with a curt no. That would be the right thing to do, the smart thing, but an even bigger part of the teen wanted to invite him in. To talk to him, like they'd talked in the kitchen.
The Earl stared at the barrier of wood between them, weighing his options before he lowered his voice to a whisper, "A cup of hot milk would be nice. With honey.. or brandy."
Ciel immediately regret his suggestion of the brandy, quickly remembering the last time he'd consumed alcohol with his butler present. It made the younger man weary, "On second thought, Sebastian, just honey."
"Of course, my Lord."
The faint echoes of fading footsteps made the teen breathe a sigh of relief. However, that relief was short lived as he realized his lingering state of arousal. A fresh blush darkened his cheeks before Ciel slid quickly from his bed and approached his bedroom window. The curtains were easily pulled open, and with minor effort, the youngest Phantomhive was able to open both the doors, quietly making his way out onto the balcony.
The air was crisp, a bit on the chilly side and though it rushed over his partially exposed flesh, it did little to make his erection wilt. Ciel paced anxiously and began thinking of all that he could to make it go away. He thought of Grell and the murder of his aunt, of the way it felt when the Viscount touched him. He pondered his parents and the time he spent locked away. His arousal quickly faded, leaving Ciel able to breathe easy one more.
Another soft knock sounded at the door, "Come in."
Sebastian easily slipped inside, opening and closing the door without breaking the silence, but as he stood within the Master's chambers, his nostrils flared and the demon's eyes glowed stark within the darkness. Lust, the pheromones of arousal, hung heavily in the air. Even with the window open, it still lingered, quite strong in fact, and that very detail made the butler take pause.
Ciel.
The teen stood out on the balcony overlooking the grounds on the west side. When the teen turned to look at him, Sebastian saw the flush of his cheeks, the beads of sweat that lingered upon his brow, the way his breaths were just the tiniest bit ragged, having not returned to their normal steady pace and he was instantly struck with the thought that the boy looked exquisite.
His lust was apparent, especially to the demon, and a wave of possessiveness ensnared Sebastian's blackened heart. What had Ciel so aroused? Had he actually had a nightmare, or was it closer to a fantasy? And who would've been involved in such a thing?
The demon couldn't imagine Ciel fantasizing about Elizabeth. Another young woman? Could it be a man? And why had he called the butler's name? Was that, too, coincidence? Or was it possible that his human, the soul of his endlessly devoted attention, had finally succumbed to the charms of a demon. Did Ciel find him attractive, or at the very least, attractive enough to fantasize about?
If such a thing we're true, Sebastian would be the first one to admit his surprise. As well as his pleasure. It was not often that his Master truly reacted to something in this manor. He had his pride and his anger, yes. He was prone to bouts of temporal flares, but nothing of this nature. Ciel was almost always able to brush aside the demons sexual humor. Very rarely did he manage to get the boy riled up about such things, but this was new. This was different. Tonight was special somehow.
Ciel continued to look at the elder male before a few more moments before Sebastian returned to the present, taking in the boy's state of dress and the temperature outside, "What are you doing out of bed, Master? You're sure to catch a cold."
The butler set the tea tray down and pulled back the covers, waiting with infinite patience as the blue haired male made his way back to the bed, crawling in to sit against the headboard.
Mismatched eyes watched as Sebastian poured the steaming milk, adding what was no doubt a bit of chilled cream before finishing it off with a small scoop of honey. He did it with such flowed movements that Ciel found himself momentarily surprised that anybody took him for a regular mortal. He was so much more. And though pride sneered at the thought, the teen knew it was true.
This being was a demon. Capable of unspeakable magic, able to laugh in the face of death even. Not just once though. Multiple times. The things he'd seen Sebastian do. It was brilliant and utterly breathtaking at times. But then there were times like this, where everything he did was so incredibly domestic. This was an ancient creature, that'd been alive for who knows how long, centuries, eons even, and he was making Ciel hot milk with honey because he thought that the Earl had a nightmare.
It was an odd thing to consider, the two sides of the man. Ciel wondered if Sebastian was this way with all of his previous masters. However, of all the things they talked about, or rather, didn't talk about, that was one of the bigger ones.
The Earl barely noticed Sebastian's approach, only brought about when the elder offered him the steaming cup, "Young Master."
Ciel took the cup and stared at it for a moment. It was times like these that he wished he'd remained ignorant to his feelings. It was a wave, all or nothing. Either he was completely oblivious to his own emotions, or he knew they existed and it sought to consume him, just as his revenge and his hate had consumed him. He'd never thought these things about Sebastian before, but now it was like a switch. Suddenly, all these things were apparent to him.
Such sentiment. It was so unlike him, so completely foreign.
He stared down into the teacup before glancing towards his butler. Sebastian stood beside him, waiting patiently for the teen's approval.
"Do you remember the beginning?"
The dark haired man looked down at the Earl questioningly, "My Lord?"
The bluenette dropped his eyes back down to his teacup, "The first time I had a nightmare, after our contract was made, you offered me milk with honey and I told you that Tanaka said shouldn't or I would get cavities, and you said -"
"Just for tonight, then."
Drifting attention snapped back into focus immediately and Ciel looked up to find Sebastian also looking fairly startled. It was a rare moment to catch the immortal off guard but that made each one all the more grand.
The two lingered in silence, neither knowing quite what to say. However, as always, Sebastian came to his senses first and straightened. "If that's all, young Master, I shall leave you to retire. If you leave the cup on your nightstand, I'll collect it before dawn."
The demon turned to exit, but before Ciel could think to stop himself, one of his hands shot out and ensnared the butler's sleeve, "Wait.. I have a question."
Sebastian slowly turned and looked to his Master, dark maroon eyes darting across his face. Though scrambling for an appropriate question to ask, the teen couldn't help but to wonder what Sebastian saw with that intensely focused gaze. Did he see right through him, finding the blue haired male to be quite similar to a plain glass window, or had he finally learned to guard his face.
Anxiety quickly began to make itself known as he failed to think of anything to say. Like many other times as of late, Ciel found his lips parting and the words started tumbling out before he could find the sense to keep them captive, "What do you see when you look at me?"
Red eyes widened in surprise and Sebastian pulled his sleeve free to turn the rest of the way towards his companion. He could see the distress written all over the other's face. To an outsider, the Earl would appear calm and collected, asking a direct question, but that wasn't what the demon saw. What Sebastian saw.
He could see the way Ciel's toes pointed inwards for a brief moment, no doubt acting the part of a nervous boy rolling on the soles of his feet. His eyes were focused, but it wasn't perfect eye contact. Ciel was forcing himself to focus on something specific, perhaps in the hopes of showing Sebastian that he was brave and over all quite fearless, but the demon decided it was far more likely that the teen couldn't believe what he just said, and he was trying to appear calm. To stay headstrong.
However, he now found that the ball was in his court, so to speak. The Earl had already let the words slip, they were out in the open and never to be taken back, but now it was Sebastian's turn to respond. And what did one say to such a question? Was he honest or was it much more logical to give a faintly bland answer?
Sebastian quickly decided on his ordinary "mortal" response but as he opened his mouth to speak, the demon found that he'd rather not. That, though illogical to converse deeply with one's food, he couldn't help it. Sebastian liked his mortal prey. Ciel was interesting, and no matter what happened, the boy deserved the truth. That was always what he'd asked for. Not the smoke screen or the edited version. He strove for truth, no matter the pain.
But, in this case, it wouldn't be painful. Or perhaps it would. Would it hurt the teen to know that a demon found him interesting? That he was different, yet no so much so that Sebastian would choose to give up his soul?
But that was the beauty of it, he supposed. The teenaged Earl would want to know, No matter how much it upset him."
"I see the strength of the human race."
Whatever Ciel had been expecting to hear, it wasn't that. That much was instantly apparent by the stunned look on his face. Sebastian could understand. There were some compliments that were to large for words, but Sebastian didn't feel that it was enough.
The demon was not a nice man. He was sadistic and monstrous, as all demons were. He was sarcastic and scathing, with little to no compassion for anyone. Except for Ciel.
The boy had put himself out there, expecting, perhaps, to be met with a sarcastic response, but he'd braved it anyway, and Sebastian found that even after his spoken words, he couldn't let the question go without the whole truth.
"For a mortal, you are maddeningly brilliant. Exceedingly stubborn. As time goes on, your kind have become weak. They have nothing to offer, no true spark of difference. But not you. No. You wouldn't settle for that, would you?"
A momentary flash of the child upon the alter crossed the demon's thoughts, and maroon eyes darkened, looking more like twin pools of blood rather than the elegant wine color they usually settled as.
"You were so broken."
Ciel stiffened and Sebastian didn't have to be a mind reader to know that the teen knew exactly what he was referring to, "I saw you there and I was surprised. Such hate from a child. It was scalding. And I could see in your eyes, the sheer need for revenge, the defiance of death. You overcame. Overcame the fear, and rose to be something worth remembering. It's something I haven't seen for.."
Sebastian paused as he considered how old he truly was, and just how long it'd been since a human caught his attention, "Very many years."
Ciel spotted the opening within their conversation for a question he'd wanted to know for quite some time, but never had the chance to inquire about.
"How old are you really, Sebastian?"
The demon considered the question carefully, rolling it around in his thoughts. How many years had it been? He could say that he had to think about it, but the truth was that the butler never really lost count. It was always within the back of his mind, but rarely did such a trivial piece of information matter to anybody but himself.
"I was born in 218 BC at the beginning climb of the Roman empire."
Ciel gasped at the impressive time gap, "But that's-!"
"Just over two thousand years old. Yes, I'm aware my Lord."
The blue haired male could do nothing but gape before falling back into his bed, staring up at the canopy, thinking of what it must've been like to wander the Earth for so long, to see empires rise and fall. But another thought struck him. Two thousand years was an impossibly long life, especially to a human, but what about to a demon? Were thousands of years lengthy amounts of time for other demons? Ciel briefly wondered how many demons there were, but the thought dispersed as the teen decided upon its irrelevance.
"Were you born a demon?"
Sebastian paused and looked down at the boy. He appeared so innocent this way, lying within his sheets like a child, but his eyes spoke volumes. The darkness of his gaze told a tale of pain, suffering in the highest degree, while the faintly glowing contract made the appearance of his purity vanish.
The ancient found himself intrigued.
Nobody asked him these sort of questions. It just wasn't spoken of, not in all the years that he'd been serving mortals in exchange for their everlasting souls. But of course Ciel would be different, just as he'd always been. Ciel would be curious where as all others wouldn't care one way or another.
It always tended to amuse the raven haired male when humans thought themselves to be so above demons. Some human traits were worth mentioning, but for the most part, they were just another animal on the food chain. It was amazing in some ways, the extent of their arrogance, but for the most part, it remained laughable.
But it hadn't always been that way. He, too, had been ignorant of the truth once. Many years ago, yes. That didn't change the true history, and as Sebastian looked down to the blue haired mortal within the sheets, he remembered what it was to be human all those ages ago.
In a momentarily lapse of character, the butler pushed the Earl's bangs away from his face, staring down into his eyes. The contract sat brightly within the iris of Ciel's left eye, contrasting quite beautifully with the original sapphire blue.
"I wasn't always this way. I was human once. Like you."
All Ciel could do was stare. His noble conscious screamed that it was inexcusibly rude to stare, but there was nothing else that he could think to do. The idea of a human Sebastian was almost impossible for the teen to even wrap his mind around. But then again, he hadn't been Sebastian then, had he? He'd been somebody else, a man with limited life, normal skills. A man who made mistakes.
There were so many questions, so many things that he wanted to ask, but a single one stuck out above all others, "How did it feel?"
Sebastian raised a curious brow, "My Lord?"
"To be free."
It was once again Sebastian's turn to be shocked. It appeared as a game between them, passing the surprise of each statement back and forth with every response.
Sebastian thought back to those first few years. They hadn't been spectacular. In truth, they'd been Hell, in the truest sense of the word, but the decades after that were something to remember. He recalled the wonder of it all, the human realm through the eyes of a newborn demon. It was beautiful; watching the sunrise from the world's tallest peak, wandering through the impossibly busy jungles that no man had ever set foot in. Nothing was off limits, there was nowhere he couldn't go.
"Like you wouldn't believe."
Ciel laid back in his sheets and tried to imagine it, the freedom. He tried to imagine a life where his revenge was complete and he lived on, where the teen was free to do as he wanted. He thought of growing old, something no other Phantomhive had ever done.
Despite the intensity of their conversation, and the feelings it invoked, the teen couldn't help the wave of exhaustion that was starting to take its toll. He found himself sinking deeper into his blankets and the usual sharpness of his mind was dull.
The demon watched the teen's eyes droop and an amused smile settled on his lips. He was only human, after all. "I think that's enough for tonight. Sleep well, young Master."
Sebastian blew out all the candles, aside from one, and gathered the tea tray along with Ciel's cup, moving about the room for a moment before making his way to the doors.
The familiar sounds lulled Ciel further into his near unconscious state, but before he could be completely ensnared, he looked to his butler, "Sebastian?"
The elder turned his attention to the sleepy teen, his fingers wrapped around the gold door handle, "My Lord?"
A curious smile spread across the Earl's face, "Have you seen the Sun rise over the Nile?"
"I have."
Ciel waited patiently for a moment before Sebastian continued, "It was much to beautiful for even I to describe."
The blue haired Earl seemed satisfied with the answer as he burrowed deeper into his blankets, no longer able to think at all.
"Sleep well, young Master."
Sebastian turned away and slipped quietly out the door, but not before hearing the faint and nearly inaudible return of his sentiment as Ciel said goodnight.