Pain

My demon(s)

"I'm fine, leave me alone!" Astre screamed as he slammed the door in his butlers face. Locking it and sitting on the edge of the bed. He sighed, hearing his stomach growl and gurgle. He knew he needed food, but he had already reached his 400 calorie limit of the day, so, what was he supposed to do?

"Blasted demon..." Just as he said that, he heard the voices or Mey-Rin, Finnian, Tanaka, and even Bard now outside his door begging him to eat. "...and those dumb servants too, they are always getting in my way! Trying to destroy my hard work, just so they could pick on me!" He said, though, deep down he knew that was not the case... the servants would never pick on him or tease him, and Sebastian begging him to eat was just out of genuine worry for him.

"... I just... can't go through that again..." He curled up on the door, malnourished frame leaning against the wall, and cried. Cried at the memories, at the innocent kid he was killing, and all the people who loved him whose hearts he was breaking by continuing to do this to himself. Their words- both calling him a fatass, and telling him he needs to eat -ringing in his head like some sick mantra.

What was he going to do?

~* 4 months ago *~

Astre had just finished his 10th lap around the manor, Mey-Rin, Bard, and Finny watched in concern. They quickly ran to their master when they saw him stop and double over and start breathing heavily. Bard handed him his inhaler, Mey-Rin wiped his forehead, and Finny gently rubbed his back. Astre pushed the button on his inhaler, and started slowly breathing in and out into it, calming down enough for him to breathe. "Th- thanks..." Astre said, haphazardly, once his breathing got under control.

"Uhh... young master... could you possibly slow down a little?" Mey-Rin said, face clearly reading concern for the 13-year-old child.

Astre shock his head. "Apologies, but no. Slowing down is for fat people, and I will not be that. So if you three will excuse me, I will be running another two laps." He said, and then ran off before the trio could speak another word.

Finny sighed, and looked off to the side. None of them could truly believe what the master was doing to himself. Really, none of them wanted to.

He looked to Bard, then to Mey-Rin, then back to Bard, and then to Pluto and Snake who had just walked in on the scene, but already had the same look on their faces that everyone else had. Concern. "... I will go get more rags, says Oscar..." Snake said before walking off to go get more things, knowing better than to try and get Astre to stop, he knew it was pointless. Pluto was chasing after Astre, barking and sad eyes telling him to stop before he kills himself. Astre wouldn't listen. He wouldn't listen to anyone.

Bard was the first one to sigh, and begin walking to where they already knew the master was going to stop and beg for his breath. It has happened for over a month now. "... Why is the young master doing this to himself?" Asked Finny that day. He asked it nearly every day. And every day, one of his coworkers, Sebastian, and at one point Pluto, gave him to same answer.

"He is Astre Phantomhive, our master... you know quite well that once he puts his mind to something... ain't nobody can knock him out of it... we just have to be here for him when he finally crashes... and hope he doesn't burn himself along the way..."

—

"Young master, you have barely eaten a thing. Do you not like your supper?" Sebastian had asked one lonely night as he observed his young master. Finnian and the others had told him they were suspecting the young master had this thing they called 'anorexia nervosa' or possibly 'bulimia' and Astre had become a victim of the terrible eating disorders.