Surrounded by Doubt | Kuroshitsuji

Chapter 12 - An Unexpected Turn

Sebastian had been left in the kitchen alone after his young master's visit to feast on the delicious makings of the butler. Though the visit did not only leave the boy satisfied but Sebastian had probably taken more pleasure in the situation as he had been the centre of attention for his precious master.

This without even having to work for it. The boy was staring at him from the get go and even hid to watch the butler work without his knowing, but the presence of the earl was one Sebastian always felt when they got close enough.

With the boy's attention lingering more on him, Sebastian was starting to think that perhaps this whole mishap was turning for the better. The earl had even come by his own means to observe him but it felt as if the boy had been more fixated on the butler's looks than anything else. Surely it was known by Sebastian that his features often caught the eye of others yet his master was one of the few people who didn't turn his way because of attractiveness. Though the glances given to him this evening were unexpectedly close to that of a human with desires in the back of their mind.

It was when he headed towards the young master's bedroom that he noticed the boy might not be completely clear in his own mind yet, as he witnessed the bluenette out walking in the cold rain. In the late evening, outside where the winds were getting more rough had he just been strolling around. Without a seeming reason for his actions, Sebastian decided that pulling the boy inside was what the situation called for and he would question him about it once he'd dried off.

Being dragged some place against his will always earned Sebastian a sort of scolding whether it was the silent treatment or a straight up telling about his actions but despite which one he would get, the boy always fought him by trying to release the demon's grip. This time was different when the earl just followed him back in without a single word in opposition to Sebastian's sudden measures. Not even when they had entered through the door did he say anything, now that the light was making it easier to see, could one also notice that the boy appeared extremely tired.

The drowsy effect from the medecine seemed to have kicked in despite several hours having passed and the boy was barely able to stand on his own. The butler took initiative and lifted up the half-awake child in his arms and then proceeded to walk back to the bedroom. Together they were leaving a trail of water after every step until a long string of wetness could be followed from the door to the room they were about to enter.

Sebastian had placed the boy on the bed while fetching a soft towel. When he returned, the young master seemed more out of it than before and the butler wondered if he was even aware of his surroundings. He went down on one knee to remove the soaking footwear of the boy's delicate feet. And as if his bottom had been pinched bolted the boy upright in front of him.

Their faces, only a short distance from touching, were the same height and the demon felt mesmerised by the half open blue eye. The butler was pulled even closer by the shirt until they were so close that the warm breath of the other hit him in the face.

"That tickled.." The boy's lips turned into a slight pout while his hand still held a tight grip of the butler's black tailcoat.

What an adorable expression, He thought as his master's exhaustion limited his way of expressing being displeased to a simple pout.

"My lord..?" He said, the pout returned to a guise of normality yet his gaze was far from that. A quick glance and he would appear to be the same capable lord Phantomhive he was known as but Sebastian could see what was hiding in the shadows. Ciel Phantomhive's reputation of being quite a difficult boy to read still had the butler in disbelief as human's lack the skill to hide their desires. But nevertheless, this particular human was more of a challenge.

His thoughts were interrupted by the weight of the boy falling down back onto the bed pulling the butler down with him. The long black strands of wet hair dripped water drops on the boy's sleeping face while the demon's vermillion eyes showed slit pupils hiding deep cravings.

His whole weight was supported by the elbows resting on the bed's soft mattress, hovering over his master made him realise that perhaps there was a yearning for something more than just the precious soul within him. He felt the urge to stay in this position, just a little longer as it otherwise would be most undignified for a butler to cross the line of his master's personal space but the boy was unknowing at the moment so he had a hard time not lingering.

It was quite the delectable view.

The chest moved up and down slowly in a most enticing of ways but picked up the pace along with shivering as the child was still covered in soaking clothes plastering to the thin limbs. The demon felt pressured to actually take care of his fragile master and his own desire to continue gawking at what was forbidden while the opportunity had presented itself. Duty came first in the end but with all the work he'd endured these last few days he figured that prolonging the usually not very time consuming nightly duties to guarding the boy by sitting next to him could count as a way of repaying him.

As the night progressed and the candles' warm light turned darker with each passing hour could only the deep breaths of the manors residents be heard, all except one who was going through the events of the recent days and nights. Sebastian had left the room once the light no longer existed but had thoughts lingering on the sweet expression of his charge that had made a swift appearance during the evening.

It was an expression so sweet the demon had never seen it on the boy's face before yet tonight it had been there and directed towards him. This might not have been much but for a demon whose desire went beyond the prey's soul he decided that perhaps there was a chance to change the current relationship between master and servant.