"I never asked, but why do you call me that?" Ciel asked. It was three in the morning and he was woken up by another feverish dream. Thankfully, this one wasn't so bad and he had quickly calmed down, but he was too restless to go back to sleep.

"What are you referring to, my lord?" Sebastian asked.

"You call me your heaven. Why is that? Is it just because of my name?"

"Partly." Sebastian replied. "Being a demon that I am, I have never seen or known how heaven is like. Obviously, I will never go there myself, but if it is as wonderful and as beautiful as I heard it is, then the closest that I would get to experience heaven is when I am with you."

Ciel was stunned and he just stared at Sebastian, a blush appearing on his face, or it might have been the fever.

"If you did not like that, I would not call you that anymore." Sebastian said.

Ciel shook his head. "No, I like it... it's... Uh... I really like it." He stammered. "But I can't live up to that name. I'm not wonderful and definitely not beautiful."

"You are to me." Sebastian said gently. "You are the most wonderful and the most beautiful to me. My heaven."

"Well, I... I don't have anything to call you with..." Ciel mumbled.

"I would prefer it if you call me Sebastian. It is a name that you gave me, after all. Despite the unfortunate namesake, I have come to treasure that name because it was from you."

Ciel nodded. "Okay."

"Now, please go back to sleep, Young Master." Sebastian said. "Your fever has gone down, but more rest is definitely in order."

Ciel closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but a question was nagging at him. He debated with himself for a while before he finally built up the courage to ask, "What is your name?"

Sebastian frowned in confusion. "Sebastian, sir. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. Yes, I know. But that's the name that I gave you. What is your name? Your real name?" Ciel asked, his tone tentative, but curious.

Ciel was met with silence.

Then it occurred to him that Sebastian probably didn't want to share such information with him. "Never mind, it's fine. I just... Forget I asked." He said and rolled to his side, facing away from the demon.

Sebastian was taken aback by the question. Nobody had ever asked him that. His other contractors never cared enough (not that he would ever tell them), but then again, his young master wasn't just another contractor and this wasn't just another contract.

Sebastian leaned down and whispered something into Ciel's ear, causing the earl's eyes to widen. He turned to face his butler.

"Our name is our most guarded secret. I am entrusting it to you, Young Master." Sebastian said, smiling gently.

"I will take it to my grave and beyond." Ciel said solemnly. "It's a beautiful name and it suits you. I like it."

"Thank you, my lord." Sebastian said, his smile widened at Ciel's approval of his name. But his smile quickly turned into a frown when he noticed that Ciel was shivering. "Are you cold?"

"Just a little..." Ciel admitted.

When Sebastian checked his temperature, Ciel's fever had spiked up again. "I will be back momentarily." He said and went to get water and washcloth from the bathroom. He hated this, hated to see his mate ill and in discomfort and there was nothing that he could do about it. Infection could be fatal for humans and Ciel's health was already fragile enough as it was.

Sebastian shook his head. This wasn't the time for any of that. Right now, he needed to take care of his master. He returned to Ciel's side with a basin of water and washcloth and tended to him.

"Stay with me...?" Ciel asked, his eyes drooping.

"Yes, my lord... Sleep now, dear one. I will be here with you, always." Sebastian stroked Ciel's hair comfortingly.

Ciel hummed and before long, he was fast asleep.

Three days later, Ciel's fever finally broke completely. He was still weak and lethargic, but he was well on his way to recovery, much to everyone's relief.

After being confined in his room for days, Ciel was restless and he wanted to get out and stretch his legs. Not to mention, he still had some work to do.

"Dress me. I want to go out today." Ciel said after his morning tea.

"May I ask where are you going, my lord?" Sebastian asked.

"The garden. I wish to take a walk and the weather seems fine." Ciel said, looking at the window.

"The weather is indeed very fine today. Will you let me accompany you?" Sebastian wasn't willing to let Ciel go out and about by himself, not when he was still not fully recovered yet.

"Of course." Ciel agreed easily. "Should I fall, Finny would crush me in his attempt to help me. Then we wouldn't have a gardener anymore."

"I see you are feeling much better this morning." Sebastian smiled. He went to retrieve Ciel's clothes and dressed him.

"I should get back to work." Ciel said as he sat on the settee. Sebastian was kneeling in front of him, putting on Ciel's shoes.

"Certainly, but please do not overtax yourself. You are still recovering."

"I know. I'm not that stubborn child anymore, Sebastian." Ciel said. "Well, most of the times." He amended when the butler gave him a look. "My point is, I've learned to not push my limit too much. Unlike in the past, I don't have a death wish now."

Pause. "A death wish, my lord?"

Ciel sighed. "I used to, or I think I did. Yes, I wanted my revenge, I had my goal, but there were times when I got tired and I just wanted it all to end. I definitely wasn't going to cheat you of the meal that you deserve, but there were some... moments of weakness every now and then. No, I wasn't going to kill myself. But I had... on occasions, deliberately held on until the last minute to call you, to see if... well, if I would die."

"And now?" Sebastian asked quietly.

"Now I have something to live for. I have you to live for and I've also learned to live for myself, not for revenge, not for my hatred. So, I very much want to live now, for myself, for you, for us, for our future." Ciel said.

Sebastian finished up his task and looked up at Ciel's face. "Good. I will not allow you and our future to slip away from me."

"I will never let you go, Sebastian. So don't you ever let me go." Ciel said, leaning down and resting his forehead on Sebastian's.

"Never, my lord. You are to be by my side for the rest of eternity. Wherever you are, there I shall be, by your side, always." Sebastian said.

Ciel smiled. "Always."

"Good morning, Young Master!" Finny waved enthusiastically when he saw Ciel.

None of the servants - other than Sebastian and Tanaka - had seen Ciel these past few days, so they were very worried about him. Sebastian gave them daily update on Ciel's condition and they were very happy when the head butler informed them last night that Ciel's fever had broken and he was feeling better. Needless to say, Finny was excited to see his master out and about this morning.

Ciel nodded at Finny and the gardener happily went back to work. Ciel continued to walk along the path. The weather was warm and sunny and Ciel was in a very good mood and just a little mischievous.

"I've been thinking about the other night. When we talked about names." Ciel started. He didn't turn around, knowing that if he did, Sebastian would see his mischievous grin. "I think I know what I want to call you."

"Oh?" Sebastian asked. "And what would that be, my lord?"

"How about..." Ciel paused to turn around. He really wanted to see the butler's face when he said this. "Sebas-chan?"

Ciel wasn't disappointed.

At first, Sebastian looked surprised. Then it was quickly replaced by disgust, before finally he realized that his master was teasing him.

Ciel laughed, a full belly laugh that brought tears into his eyes. He even had to hold onto his walking stick to prevent himself from toppling over.

"Your face..." Ciel managed to choke out in between laughter.

"I am glad that the young master finds it amusing." Sebastian said sarcastically, but he was smiling. Ciel very seldom truly laughed and Sebastian treasured every single one of them, even if it were at his expense.

Ciel finally managed to calm down enough. Still wheezing, he took the handkerchief that Sebastian offered and used it to wipe his tears.

"That's just... Ouch..." Ciel grimaced when he accidentally pulled at his still healing shoulder.

"Here, sir. Please sit down before you hurt yourself." Sebastian quickly guided him to sit on the nearby bench.

"But I was thinking about that evening and something occurred to me." Ciel said, turning serious now. "You never called me by my name."

"Would you want me to?" Sebastian asked.

"No, I mean, not if you don't want to. It's fine by me. I'm just curious as to why."

"It... does not feel right." Sebastian said after a few seconds. "Please do not misunderstand me. It is a beautiful name and I do not mind if I have to call you that, if you wish me to, but for me, you will always be 'Young Master'."

"Like I said, I don't mind either way. I'm just curious. You can keep calling me such if you'd like. But if you ever want to call me by my name, then feel free to do so. I mean, you kind of already do."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian nodded. Then he pulled out his pocket watch to look at the time. "Seeing that the weather is warm and the young master is in such a good mood, would you like to have your elevenses in the garden today?"

"Yes, I would." Ciel agreed.

Sebastian bowed slightly. "Excellent. Then I shall prepare it. If you need me, please call for me."

"I'll be fine." Ciel said.

Sebastian left and Ciel cast his eye at the expanse of the garden. He looked at the colourful flowers and the way they swayed in the light breeze. By nature, he wasn't an outdoor person, but he had to admit that being here was peaceful and he definitely could use some peace and quiet every now and then.

It amazed him how much his life had changed in the past few years. He thought that once he had gotten his revenge, that would be the end of it. But now, he was still here, alive and well, happy and very much in love with his demon. Him, the proud and broken earl, the one who had lost everything, had a second chance in life, in love, in happiness.

Ciel marvelled at the beauty around him. The sun was shining brightly, the flowers were blooming, everything was quiet, save for the sound of the birds chirping and Finny humming from a distance away. The old him wouldn't imagine himself sitting here like this. The old him would think that this was a waste of time, that he would rather be working, plotting his revenge, moving his pawns, wanting the game to end as soon as possible. But Ciel wasn't him anymore. He had changed, again. There was no more revenge. It was done, the game was over, and now, he could finally rest and live.

Ciel knew he would never get rid of the darkness in him. He would always carry that darkness with him for the rest of his days. The revenge didn't change what had happened, didn't erase his past and his pain, and it certainly didn't repel the darkness in his heart, his broken soul. It was only fitting and, dare he say, natural that he fell in love with a demon. Who else would be able to love him as he was, the real him, darkness, flaws, and all? The demon knew him inside out, better than anyone else ever could. He had seen Ciel's soul, the soul that had always belonged to him, from the day that they formed the contract, to the rest of eternity.

Ciel's musing was interrupted when Sebastian came back a few minutes later to announce that Soma had just arrived.

"What does he want?" Ciel asked, irritated now. He was really enjoying his morning.

"He did not say, my lord. Shall I escort him to the gazebo to join you for tea?"

"Might as well." Ciel grumbled and got up. He started making his way to the gazebo.

"Good morning, Soma. Take a seat." Ciel greeted the prince.

"Good morning, Ciel." Soma sat down across from the earl, for once he wasn't trying to hug the earl.

"What brought you here this morning?" Ciel asked, never one to beat around the bush.

"I want to talk to you about your decision to break off your engagement with Lizzie."

Ciel narrowed his eye. "I don't believe it's any of your concern."

"Of course it is!" Soma said. "Both of you are my dear friends and I'm worried about you! I can't believe you didn't even tell me about it!"

"What happened between Elizabeth and I are between the two of us and her family. I understand you're worried, but we were trying to keep everything as private as possible at that time." Ciel said.

"I think you've made a big mistake, Ciel." Soma said. "The two of you are happy, what, how could you possibly think otherwise?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you." Ciel said.

"No, you don't need to. Lizzie told me everything." Soma said.

"Oh? Did she now?" Ciel asked.

"Of course. She's... She's very sad, Ciel. I know you love her. So I don't understand why you're doing this to her."

Ciel regarded Soma. "Did she put you up to this?" He asked suspiciously.

"No! How could you say that?!" Soma asked. "I'm just trying to help my friends here."

"No, Soma. You're trying to help her 'fix' this." Ciel said.

"Well, yes, of course!" Soma said. "Like I said, she doesn't deserve this, and neither do you. She said that you did this because you think that you're not good enough for her, but that's not true. You are good enough for her, Ciel. And you two love each other very much and you two are meant to be happy together!"

"You truly are a hopeless romantic, aren't you? Things are not as simple as that, Soma."

"Then tell me why you're doing this!" Soma demanded.

"I have my reasons, which I believe that Elizabeth had told you about. I won't repeat everything all over again." Ciel said.

"Why not?"

"What's the point of it? You would still refuse to listen and would still try to convince me to marry her." Ciel said.

"That's because I want what's best for you." Soma said. "You and Lizzie are destined to be together, Ciel! Why can't you see that?"

Ciel sneered. "Why? Because we're match made in heaven or whatever? Like I said, you are a hopeless romantic."

"I think it's good to believe in love, in happiness, in romance."

"I'm not saying it's bad. I'm just saying that in this case, you have believed wrongly." Ciel said. He used to not believe in those things, but he did now. So he wouldn't fault Soma for believing too.

Soma's eyes widened. "Are you saying that you don't love Lizzie?!"

"I care for her, but I can't return her affection." Ciel said truthfully.

Soma was stunned. "No, that's not true..." He shook his head. "That cannot be true! I've seen how you two are! You do love her, Ciel! Maybe you don't even realize it yourself, but the way you look at her, you adore her, you love her."

"I know how I feel, Soma, regardless of what you think you saw." Ciel said. He was starting to get tired now and his shoulder was aching.

"I know what I saw." Soma said.

"You think you do." Ciel said. "I don't want to hurt her anymore. That's why I broke it off. So that she can find her own happiness. So that she can find someone who can love her as much as she loves him."

"But that person is you." Soma said.

"No, it's definitely not me. I don't know how else I can make you see that." Ciel said. "The matter is closed and my decision is final."

Soma looked at Ciel. "I just want what's best for you."

"Then let us not talk about this anymore and put this matter to rest." Ciel sipped his tea.

"Very well, but..."

"No." Ciel said. "No buts." The dull ache on his shoulder had developed into something more. He put down his cup and saw that his hand was shaking ever so slightly. He needed to get out of here before Soma noticed anything and started fussing.

"My apologies, but I have some matters that I need to attend to. Please enjoy the tea and snacks." Ciel got to his feet, holding at the edge of the table to steady himself. He shook his head slightly when he saw Sebastian move to help him. "Good day, Soma." Ciel said and walked away. "Come, Sebastian."

Soma sighed as he watched Ciel walk away.