Sheltered

2

Yes, I have a tummy kink. No, I don't want to talk about it.

—

Sebastian began to realize that Ciel's antics were usually more infuriating than they were endearing.

It'd been a week since he'd opened his home to the boy. The first day, Ciel was low maintenance and nothing more than another mouth to feed. Sebastian had no problem making more food; he was proud of his cooking, and now he had a captive taste-tester. The home-cooked meals seemed to do the boy good, anyway. He always ate his fill, and after a few days he looked less like he would keel over and die at any second; his cheeks had regained color, and his stomach didn't look constantly caved in.

During the night, however, Ciel took every ounce of his energy and the last thread of his sanity. The boy always made things harder than they had to be, trying to wriggle his way out of the bath, refusing to go to bed, or just being a brat in general. Each bath after the first left Sebastian with scratches on his arms, even with bites on occasion. He'd also managed to properly break the man's floor lamp, and he had the audacity to say that it wasn't his fault. He wasn't acquainted with very many street kids, but he was pretty sure that they were supposed to be grateful when someone took them in.

And then there were the nightmares. God the nightmares. Ciel woke him up every single night without fail, and at this point, Sebastian had just taken to falling asleep in the chair next to him. He was already there when the boy inevitably woke up crying, and he didn't have to put any extra care in keeping him company until he fell back asleep. But no matter how comfortable the seat was, it wasn't built to be slept in- and he could definitely feel the effects of that.

Ciel seemed to be, more or less, used to him as well. He wasn't afraid of sharing the same breathing space or turning his back, and he definitely wasn't afraid to be a pain in the ass. He even showed affection by giving Sebastian random things he either made or found in some odd corner of the house (usually just a rock or a piece of origami). Sweet moments like this were about the only thing stopping the man from throwing him back out onto the street.

Today was another workday for Sebastian, a Friday. And god he needed the weekend. He finished up his day by emailing his supervisor and finally giving his spine the sweet relief of a much-needed stretch. His neck hurt. His back hurt. Everything hurt. His sympathy went out to all the parents who put up with this shit for years on end.

Turning around, he was met with the boy sitting on a cheap stool in the corner, just staring at him. He would have been freaked out, probably should have been, had this not been the situation for the whole week. Sebastian had hoped after the first few days, Ciel would relax enough to leave him to work in peace. He gave up on that wishful thinking quickly. That boy never let him leave his sight, the only reprieve being when he was out in town or in the bathroom. To be fair, Ciel was never disruptive or distracting- but he still didn't enjoy the feeling of having a hole burned into the back of his head.

Ciel moved up from the chair and looked at him expectantly.

"Hungry?" Sebastian asked. The boy hummed, which he had figured out a few days ago meant 'yes' in Ciel-language. It was still early in the evening, so there would be plenty of time to cook a proper meal for them both— unlike last Friday. "Come on little weirdo, I'll make stir fry."

He wasn't sure if he really meant the insult or not.

Ciel trotted across the living room and plopped himself into his favorite corner of the couch. He didn't ask to help with dinner- Sebastian banned him from the stove after he set a potholder on fire trying to make tea. Ciel had no complaints about being free from any work; at least he was being taken care of for once. It'd been so long since anyone had done something for him, even if this treatment was for more for convenience than anything else. There was nothing else to do but sit for half an hour while Sebastian fixed dinner. The scent of meat and spices wafted through the air, making Ciel's mouth water with anticipation. It smelled heavenly. As soon as he heard the call that dinner was ready, he jumped off the couch and all but skipped to the dining table.