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Together Again	By : CheshireCity Category: > Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji ???) Views: 2888 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler and make no money from the works of Yana Toboso.

Chapter List
- 5
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- 7
“Together Again”

Chapter Six

Talicada Nyseus

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray; Chapter 2)

Water dripped from bare hands as they stroked the surface of the bath, beads rolling from the slender fingers with soft plinks! of escape. There, the fluid rippled, circles blossoming and spreading to the edges of the porcelain tub. Each ringlet grew, fleeing from the next, caged, but always escaping capture. It was epitomical of the recent days.

Sebastian observed the pitiful circles from the side of the ornate bath. He was tired of running. He had been doing it his whole life, masquerading the calm and collect, the candour. He hadn’t really been any of things, merely a stray cat escaping one gruesome end after another. When he had escaped the abuses of his first masters, he had ran. Fending for himself, he had turned to pilfering, and he had ran. Sheltered in the company of hostile demons, he had ran also. Ran and ran until he had wound up exhausted, inaffable, at the doorstep to Ciel Phantomhive’s plea. Gladly he had risen to the call and turned his back on a past he wanted only to erase.

Ruby eyes flickered up to the silent teen a mere meter away. He sat wrapped loosely in a towel, visibly naked and gazing into blank space. There was a hollowness about him that couldn’t be explained; the emptiness of a condemned man. The demon yearned to peer inside his mind, to sort out the labyrinth of thoughts and questions. He could all too clearly envision the way the smaller male would start at a gentle advance, face turning into a scowl. “Don’t touch me so easily!” he would retort, withdrawing more than just his body in towards himself. It had been the same for over four years. It made his heart clench just to think of it; on some level, he was still not trusted.

It was pitiful, perhaps, the way he had come to conduct himself. Half the time he felt like a pining cat, winding its way between its master’s legs, preening for attention with displays of possessive affection. But Ciel seemed just as allergic to the creature itself as to Sebastian’s good intentions, and pushed both away without hesitation. But love was a cruel and curious thing: no matter the number of rejections, the demon always came faithfully back, eager to try again. Somehow he had come to derive a sick form of happiness simply from being at the boy’s side, even if he were no more than an executor of desires.

Requital, now that seemed out of the question, but it did not dissuade him. There was a shallow future in a mate and kit, even if he could only share in small fragments of their lives. He was all the same guilty of fantasy – the earl wrapped in satin and veiled in tulle; taking the tiny hands of his child as it toddled its first steps; slipping off together to the woods with other demon children as they learned to hunt; lounging beside his mate before the sea with their kit scouring the pebbles excitedly for shells – but he was quick to clear the pervasive images and focus on whatever task lay before him. They were only fantasy, after all, and nothing confirmed it more than the teen’s new state of resignation. That grudging acceptance pained worst of all.

“Tell me, my lord, what life it is I’m on now: no matter the number, I will gladly lay it before your own. Can’t you understand just how precious you are?”

But Ciel, of course, gave no notice of the demon’s supplications and continued to gaze expressionlessly into the steamy air of the bathroom. With a sigh, the demon finished his preparations, bottles of product measured out beside combs and a sponge. He went to stand and paused, struck by an idea. Pawing beneath the clawed tub, he withdrew a small silver bucket filled with excess supplies. Tiny glass vials clinked at the bottom and to his satisfaction he saw that they weren’t broken. They had been a present from some noblewoman that they had unintentionally helped months earlier while working on assignment from the Queen; why humans fetishized soaps he could never understand, so he had stored the products for later usage. He recalled a social the earl had hosted at his main estate early on in his service. It was March, and the dresses of the ladies had bubbled out with pregnancy. “Bath oils prevent unsightly scars and marks caused by distention, you know.” They chittered to one another.

Sebastian had never anticipated his odd habit of eavesdropping to come to much fruition, but, grateful, he took a vial of rosemary essence and poured it into the cap. It looked a bit like olive oil, but infused with the warm water quickly; the demon scented the herb, recalling its properties. “It warms and relaxes muscles and relieves fatigue.” Again, he glanced up to his master, who gave no notice of the world about him, a hand pressed to his abdomen. “At least you continue to let me take care of you – I’ve no idea how the devil you’d survive alone.”

“The bath is ready, my lord.” He called softly. As though deaf, the teen didn’t stir. The demon waited a moment or two before attempting again. “My lord? Will you be coming in?” Ciel turned vaguely to face his butler, blinking like he had just realized that he was not alone. With a sigh, Sebastian scooped the earl up in his arms and gently deposited him in the water before he had time to protest.

He began with a washcloth, drenching the square and lathering it with a fresh soap carved into the shape of a rose. With tender hands he cupped the earl’s cheek and washed his face, moving slowly down along his chin and to the sensitive curves of his neck. He could see the tiny scar his own fangs had left at the base – proof of his fealty as mate – and brushed over it, too, delighting in the minimal reaction the touch received. With the utmost care he exchanged towel for bare fingers for warm water again and again, willing the stiffness and unhappiness away.

Sebastian could see the signs of maturation every time he bathed the earl: the tension in his neck, the gentle broadening of his shoulders, the slight firmness of his chest and ass. He was no longer a child – certainly not by demon’s standards, either – and undeniably beautiful. Pride bloomed in the demon’s chest as he groomed his mate, drawing the sponge across the teen’s back in steady swipes. Society was noticing him more, truly drawing the earl into their fold. Men and girls alike whispered about him in their own ways, and there was a universal belief that he would grow into the stature of a typical Phantomhive. Even the Undertaker had noted with melancholy satisfaction how much he had come to look like his father. Despite the prior nobleman’s brutal end, Sebastian had taken such tidings to be a good thing: in all manners, the majority believed his mate to be filling his destined lot in life. He was bound to be as successful as his predecessor, if not more so, as he already had a knack for the industry. So long as he kept his peculiar second life a secret…

Before the demon realized, the bath was over and he was washing away the final suds. He pulled Ciel from the tub with practiced ease – was he a bit heavier than before? – and wrapped him in a towel. Gently, he dried the earl’s body, caressing his mate through the cloth with as much removed interest as he could muster. He dressed him for bed in a similar fashion, ignoring the fullness of his thighs as he slid underwear up his hips and the subtle arch of spine as the nightshirt slipped down graceful arms and torso.

It was torturous. He had encountered more than a fair share of his own kind to know that his relationship was stunted. Most mates lay together throughout the beginning of their bond and all throughout pregnancy. There was constant nuzzling, caressing, and sex. All affectionate actions of the gratitude and acceptance of both parties: the desire to make their matehood clear to all others. Sebastian yearned for such comforts.

Dutifully he plumped the pillows and folded down the comforter, unsurprised when his master made no move to curl up under their warmth. He flitted about the room wordlessly, folding away excess linens and setting aside shirts and laces to press in the morning. The fireplace was extinguished to cold embers and the curtains unlaced from their holdings and drawn shut. Still the earl had not moved, sitting with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. Sebastian collected the silver candlestick holder from the dresser, turning to his master. Silhouetted by the pinpricks of fire, the hunched form looked just as he had years before on the demon’s first night of service. An unresponsive, gaunt husk of a boy.

“My lord?” the butler plied gently. “Are you alright?”

Eyelids flickered; the teen had recognized the words. Slowly, the heartbeat accelerated, the blood trickled to the limbs, awakening the sleeping muscles and veins. As though emerging from a dreamless trance, Ciel stirred, turning marginally towards his butler. “Yes.” He mumbled, voice dry. “I’m fine.”

Sebastian hesitated. It wasn’t the first time he had witnessed the mental relapse. Fatigue, injury, stress – it all piled and mounted until the earl was forced to bend under their pressures. Until he could sort out his own thoughts, he was no more than the shattered boy with the hateful eyes. “Can I fetch you anything?”

“No.”

“Should I leave the candles here?”

“No.”

“…I’ll cancel your appointments for tomorrow.”

“Fine.”

“…Good night, my lord.” Said the demon quietly. The earl turned from him, glancing sightlessly in another direction, the gossamer of thought winding its way back around his head. Sebastian expelled a soft sigh and passed his hand before the fire, expelling two of the candlesticks. Giving up, he slipped from the chamber and retreated down to the kitchens to find Agni sitting alone at a table nursing a cup of chai.

“Evening, Sebastian.” The butler called, unperturbed.

“I’m surprised you detected me.” Sebastian replied lightly, approaching the man from behind. A small fire crackled in the brick hearth, lighting the broad room with warmth. Agni turned towards the demon, drawing his gaze.

“The second landing creaks a little.” He explained. “Prince Soma has trained me to listen for it; I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve caught him trying to sneak in here.”

Sebastian gave a soft laugh, throwing wide the cabinets and staring vaguely at their glimmering pans and sheets. “You have good hearing for a human.” He commented, pulling down several bowls and a tin of sugar. “That’s a lucky skill.” The man hummed in agreement, carefully watching as the demon set about the kitchen, preparing an area of granite countertop and rolling up his sleeves.

“Especially now.” Agni added. The demon gave a small grunt in reply, spreading his workstation evenly with flour. “We should fence again sometime, though I doubt you need the practice.”

“Ah, but it’s not a bad suggestion.” Sebastian smiled, whisking the contents of a bowl together. “You should be proud of yourself, you matched a demon.”

“Mn,” the Indian frowned. “But you probably didn’t use your full strength, did you?”

“Not at first.” The demon admitted. “By the end, however…” he shook his head. “As I said, you’re an equal match. You shouldn’t be so nervous.”

“It’s not for myself that I’m worried.” Agni replied softly. “I trust you to protect Master Ciel with your very life – you’ve never shown any intention of doing otherwise, at least – but I care for him, too. Not just him, either… Not to say that Master Soma isn’t adept, but… we are still just humans. I’ve seen enough to understand the fragility of a life’s existence. I couldn’t bear it if such precious beings were stolen from this world.”

“You’re a good man, Agni.” The other remarked, an odd half-hearted smile on his lips. “You can appreciate that which takes others hundreds of years to discover.” He lapsed into silence. The other butler blinked in surprise.

“And what thing would that be?”

“Love.” The demon said simply. Again they fell quiet, the human watching his friend with interest as he set about pie making. The dough slapped on the counter, was expertly kneaded out into a round, and sheared. Thin strips braided into intricate latticework, nimble fingers marrying them together. There was a bizarre sort of weariness about the demon as he set to his work.

“Something troubles you.” Agni hummed, narrowing his eyes in worry.

“Is it that obvious?” the demon sighed, giving the rolling pin an accusatory look.

“Come, sit by me.” Agni answered by invitation. “There’s more chai on the stove, it should relax you.”

Giving his scraps of dough a despairing look, Sebastian parted from the counter, collecting the spiced tea in a mug and sliding on to a barstool. He could feel the other’s eyes on his bare hands; traces of flour could not hide the natural black lacquer of his claws, nor the scar of the contract carved into his flesh. He allowed the curiosity, trying not to feel like a specimen. Fingers drummed on the thick ceramic of his mug and he expelled a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

“It’s been stressful lately.” He said, not looking at anything.

“That’s a given.” Agni replied calmly. “It’s much more than these surface conflicts.” When the silence enveloped them, the butler continued. “It’s about the child, isn’t it?”

Sebastian swallowed thickly. The child. It was the first time someone had spoken of his kit in that way. Not a beast, not a monster, a child. Something tiny and precious and fragile. “What do you mean?” he asked, barely louder than a whisper.

“It is yours, isn’t it?” There was a slight nod. “I’m not asking for explanation, but I know this has nothing to do with Lady Elizabeth. I highly doubt she is even aware of the current… circumstances. I know the look of a man that’s lain with a woman,” he smiled a bit sheepishly. “He may no longer be virginal, but he’s certainly never been with a female. He hardly knows how to interact with one.”

Sebastian cocked a brow. “You seemed fairly convinced during his little show the other night.”

“For Master Soma’s benefit!” Agni laughed. “You must not think ill of him; he’s just a very innocent person. From what I can tell from his stories, he hardly had a mother to instruct him on the ways of the world. He simply enjoys believing in the fantastic and romantic.”

“That’s kind of you.”

“I feel you would do the same for your master.” Agni returned, quieting. “In ways, you are now, aren’t you? As I said, this child is yours – that can’t just mean nothing to you.”

“He’s decided to keep the kit.” the demon said. “But… I have no idea how he will wish to explain it to his… fiancé. Or to the Middleford family as a whole. I suppose… Lady Elizabeth will be the one to raise it.”

“But it’s not something you’ve discussed together, correct?” the other pieced together. “What is it that you want, Sebastian?”

The demon turned, wide eyed. “What I…?” He dismissed the idea with a firm shake of his head. “That’s of no consequence.” The plethora of distant fantasies tumbled to the forefront of his mind and he shut his eyes to them. “The reality of the situa –.”

“It is important.” Agni interjected. His voice was firm, but his pale blue eyes held their same kindness. “I child isn’t the product of one person alone, it’s the result of a sacred union. There’s no shame in being a part of that, and it’s clearly affecting you. What are you running from?”

Sebastian froze, the words dying in his throat. Running. He was always running. He had accused himself of it mere hours before. An unpleasant thought uncurled in his belly like a snake. Did it make others see him as a coward? Did it make him a coward? He stared at the Bengal butler with all of his patient benevolence. Where did such a man draw his strength from? He could freely explain himself – even to the point of melodrama for the sake of his master – without a second thought. He had no fear of his own emotions, or the power they could hold over others. Others… His brow creased slightly, recalling the other’s words.

“…but I care for him, too. Not just him, either.”

Could it be he got by on mere faith alone? The trust in other beings? ‘Love’, Sebastian had said. That was the element that Agni possessed for others. The demon dropped his gaze, tentatively lowering the gates to his fortress. He had come to learn to be self-reliant, independent to the point of apathy. He didn’t reveal his thoughts to others; he had been content with cordial relationships, mutual sorts of friendships. But to put trust in others, to give them the tools to harm him? Certainly, he considered himself close to Ciel, but he had never just opened up to him either. The only individual that came close would have been Undertaker, peculiar as their relationship was.

Agni waited in amicable silence, swirling the contents of his mug. Truly, there were so many others around the demon. He’d never really noticed; he had always been the backbone. “I…” he began uncertainly. “I would rather be a part of their life. But… I don’t think that will be granted to me. I have no experience, and I probably lack the affection, but I want to be the child’s father. Not just in blood, either… I want to know my child. I want to be a part of their lives.”

“Their?”

“Ah…” the demon broke off. He hadn’t meant to say such things aloud. Still, he had to give Agni’s way a try. “Yes, ‘their’: the kit’s and Ciel’s.”

“More so than you are now?”

“…Yes. As… ” Inexplicably he dropped his gaze to his cup, filling with shame. “As a family.” The words sounded even more preposterous out in the open.

“Then I will pray for your dream to come true.”

“Wh –? …Why?” Sebastian faltered.

“You’ve heard my story.” He said quietly, staring into the contents of his chai. “My life now is one of repenting. I regret the things I have done in my past; the hedonistic and truly barbaric way that I allowed myself to act and treat others. I was once a Brahman: anything I could possibly want was only a breath away and so I came to appreciate nothing. I suspect you and I are not so very different.”

Sebastian stroked the side of his mug and cocked his head in interest. His fellow butler met his gaze and gave a small smile. “I had everything and nothing: colossal power and influence, but no love. Then Prince Soma came in to my life when I most needed him. He literally saved my life and brought to it a warmth and hope that I had never imagined. He gave me a name and a home. He gave me a purpose.” His face heated and he dropped his gaze, letting his voice quiet. “How could I not love him?”

Sebastian blinked in surprise. It wasn’t beyond reason, given the playful way the two interacted, the physicality of their relationship. It was enviable, in ways, the amount of comfort they displayed towards one another, even in the presence of complete strangers. They hadn’t been brought together by obligation or bitterness, but by compassion. Agni had been granted a rebirth through empathy and love; Sebastian, too, had been rechristened to a new life, but to one drenched in blood and hatred.

“You said we are alike.” He murmured. “How do you mean?”

“Surely you can answer that for yourself.” Agni returned, still flushed. “I may not have known you for long, but I have seen the change in you. You’ve become someone better just for knowing him. He’s inspired something within you and in return has grown to trust you and rely upon you. Now I know you to be a demon and after all this time, you’ve still stayed by his side. There’s more binding you to him than a covenant… do you love him, Sebastian?”

There was no hesitation. “I do.” The melancholic smile returned.

“Then you have to tell him.”

“Tell him?”

“I mean it.” Agni insisted, placing his fingers against the back of the demon’s hand. “I may not know the details, but I understand enough to see that you’re both in grave danger. What if – and I pray not – something were to happen? Death or separation… don’t leave something like this hidden. Don’t risk having regrets. At any rate, he needs you right now, even if it doesn’t appear to be that way. He’s strong, but he cannot bare this burden alone. Promise me that you will confess? It’s so hard to see either of you in pain.”

“Only if you do the same.”

“The sa –?”

“You said yourself that we are alike.” Sebastian pointed out, but the gentle set of his eyes calmed the other butler. “For your own sake, practice as you preach. You have a lot of wisdom, yet you still endure the pain of your own emotions? You’re a selfless individual – if anyone deserves to find their happiness, it’s you.”

A loud crash from upstairs stole whatever words Agni was planning to say from his mouth as both butlers sprang from their seats, exchanging tense looks. “You should make sure that Master Ciel is safe.” The taller said apprehensively. Sebastian nodded, sharing the images of the monstrous bird, feeling his blood turn to fire. And yet, he couldn’t detect a single thing wrong within the manor.

“He’s probably just having a fit.” He muttered, walking to the door nonetheless. “Promise me.” He said louder, turning to his companion as he slipped on his gloves.

“Ah, our situation isn’t as ba –.”

“Promise.”

“Alright, I promise.” Agni resigned good-naturedly. “Now go, won’t you? I’ll clean this place up, just go and check on him.”

The demon bared a quick grin and bounded up the remaining stairs. As he had suspected, there was nothing amiss within the household. Gold and silver statues of deities he didn’t know the names to sat calmly in place like patient guardians. He filed past them, surveying the immaculate shape of the foyer, same as he had left it after one of his patented quick fixes. The scent of both the harpy and the succubus seemed no more than a bad dream. He had begun to make his way up the grand staircase when he heard his name and the contract prickled to life.

The bedchamber was cool and dark and the butler automatically regretted his lack of prior attentiveness. The last thing he needed – or wanted – was for his mate to fall ill while their kit was still just beginning to grow. Concern twisted in his gut. There was more than that, he knew. There was an odd tension about the room and as he materialized to human eyes, he caught sight of the mirror across the room. An ugly scar ran across its face, distorting everything it beheld in to broken shapes.

Quietly, he bent himself into his customary bow beside the bed. The frame creaked and sheets rustled as his master bent forward – he had been sitting up with his eyes trained expectantly on the door when he first arrived – then the anxious licking of dry lips. The electric tingle of nerves melded with the sweet pitch of hormones, a cacophonous blend that swelled with lust but also fear. The demon frowned down at the carpet; the earl was balancing on the precipice of words, yet something had restrained him. Some fit had possessed him earlier – the mirror was evidence enough of that, no doubt the very sound he and Agni had overheard – but whether it was one of fear or anger he couldn’t identify. Moreover, what had collided with it? He hadn’t smelled blood, so surely it wasn’t a fist. Neither was it a – but Ciel had taken the plunge and emitted a simple sentence shocking enough to drive further thought from the demon’s mind.

“I want to have sex with you.”

Instantly, Sebastian’s head snapped up, eyes locked with the dichromatic pair. They were wide, startled by the mouth’s traitorous words, and colour was already rising on his pale cheeks. Tenseness settled into his muscles, his entire body frozen like a terrified rabbit, hearting thrumming wildly in the demon’s ears. The emotions he had tasted on his tongue intensified: he had drunk from the cup to find it nothing but poison.

Lust. It was all merely lust. Desire brought about by their developing kit, the foreign blood drugging the human’s fragile system until he craved as demons did, yearned for the accompaniment of his mate, the physicality of a relationship. But merely that aspect, the physical embrace. The earl couldn’t even hope to comprehend on his own the emotionality that was tied to his position, the sacred nature that came with matehood, the affection that couldn’t help but to bubble up every time one caught the other’s scent, every time they shared a room, a bed. There were none of those things. Just the clinical, carnal need for satisfaction. Anger coursed through the demon. Had the words and actions of his mate’s captors driven out every shred of trust within him until he truly would let no one near to him?

“Then you have to tell him.”

The anger quickly dampened, replaced instead by shame. The earl had made it impossible for him to voice such feelings; he had finally fallen for another: a beautiful, damaged mortal human who could not reciprocate the emotions he held for him. The invitation hadn’t been an improvement. Rather, it was just another harsh reminder that the demon was only envisioning the things he wished to see, to experience. There was no genuineness in the situation. He was a butler, and immortal. He had no business entertaining petty fantasies.

“If…” he began, dispossessed of feeling. He could see the hand stitched pale blossoms of hemlock in the brocade of the bed skirt. He could feel his master’s eyes upon him, but he couldn’t look away from the fabric. He hardly felt physically present. Who was speaking? The voice sounded like his own, and yet, he felt no connection to it. Everything continued to play and unfold about him – surely someone should have lifted the spindle on the gramophone?

A hand that didn’t quite feel like his settled on the earl’s exposed knee. It held a gentleness that he felt too heavy to really possess. The brush against skin cooled the pads of his gloved fingers, sending a chill through him, as though a piece of his own soul – if that was what his state of consciousness was tied to – had trickled back to him, released from the grip of the other who didn’t know he held it. The demon licked his lips, forcing his jumble of thoughts and non-thoughts to arrange themselves out in to words.

“If that is what my lord wishes.”

“I…” the earl began meekly. He coughed out a small laugh and traces of the dead tone from That Night came back to him. “I do.”

No, Time was no healer.

“Then –.” Sebastian murmured, unfurling himself from his position on the carpet. A flat palm halted his action, the teen behind it flooding the butler with his sense of self. There was no expectant façade, nor critical eyes. A curtain of ashen hair fell across the downturned face, humility and humiliation alike wrapped as tightly about him as his blankets. The hand wavered, the precious heartbeats increased, the breaths slowed. Somehow it was much more comforting than the scene before it. Now there was something truly wondrous and delicate and human.

“But.” The earl began, no louder than a whisper. There was a soft exhalation and a humorless smile captured his lips. The voice strengthened, “But there’s a reason I wish it.” The breath hitched, strength waning as the final wall tumbled down about the teen’s shoulders.

Sebastian stilled as everything did, the sounds and images blurred, soft thrums of heart and lungs no louder than the distant lulls of an ocean’s waves. There was only he and Ciel. The cracked mirror watched them from the sidelines, reflecting in shattered directions the two individuals. They stood on a precipice of existence and the next seconds would alter them forever. The demon wanted to hold the moment, keep it from passing, from slipping through his fingers. He wondered how many other scenarios the mirror held, how many other Ciel’s and Sebastian’s stood before it, how their moments played out. But the transitory seconds washed over him, intangible.

“I love you.”

The words were coarse: quiet and blesséd. The purest ecstasy crashed over Sebastian, filling the extent of his being with impossible warmth. He could scent the beginnings of tears, yet he ached only to embrace his belovéd.

Ciel looked up slowly, the most beautiful pain upon his face. “I wanted you to know that I wanted you to love me in return. And that,” his lips pressed together, determined not to let the convulsions of grief escape. “Is why I asked. Please leave.”

Wedded joy and sorrow flooded the demon as the contract enacted immediately at the force of the demand. Fingers caressed for the briefest of seconds and then he submitted, disappearing from the room, able only to watch as his mate descended into the personal Underworld of his own thoughts.

The study was swathed in rich swags of emerald and bronze, a fine coat of dust frosting over the glimmer of velvet. To a human, the room was tar black with night, but as Sebastian shut the door behind him, he beheld the splendor of the unused office. Motes drifted through the musty air and he batted them casually away from his face, inhaling the old scents that still lingered on the furniture. Anguish flitted in the back of his mind: he knew Ciel must be crying and yet, an order was an order, and no amount of need or empathy would override the consequences of disobeying. As if conscious of his desires, his contract tingled alive.

“I made my bed, I’m lying in it.” He thought impatiently. His first whim was to wait in the earl’s sitting room just beyond his door until the contract released him from his order. Then came the gentle saline scents – tears – and he knew he wouldn’t be able to contain himself. Some doors down he came upon the study, a room that he seldom spent time in, but had the strongest urges to clean. No longer the steward of the London estate, he sat idly by while Agni passed up the room on numerous occasions: Soma, after all, had no use for it, and it had been relegated to little more than a storage room.

It was a good refuge, Sebastian decided, until things had calmed down. The door was of thick mahogany, just enough to dull his senses to the exterior world. He needed the distraction, even if his heart wouldn’t stop thrumming against his chest and his mind wouldn’t stop reeling. Ciel loved him. Him. The demon couldn’t help but to feel incredulous. Certainly he had always been there for the earl, had met every whim and need. Certainly, too, he loved the teen in return, more deeply than he figured he could himself articulate, but he had been positively convinced that his emotions would remain unrequited. And yet… an admission at the most surprising time.

Dazed, he sat himself in the leather armchair behind an ornate desk. There was more to it than simply that, he realized. He had been asked for sex once again, yet on the pretense that there was a difference in feelings. Hell, that there were feelings at all. A low keening sound escaped his throat as he toyed with the bottles of ink lined up on the wooden surface. Genuine, passionate sex; a physical connection that held meaning for a change. It had been a long time since he had had anything near to it. Dark hair and golden eyes flashed before his eyes, but he quickly disregarded it. He had spent far too many years pursuing that sort of affection. Love.

He leaned back in his seat, willing the contract to fizzle out and allow him his freedoms. His entire being yearned to slip back inside that bedchamber, to comfort and reassure his mate. To kiss him and hold him and stroke the gentle flesh of his belly, to calm him and love him in any way he was permitted. Things that might be acceptable for him to act upon. It was funny how drastically three words had changed his entire perspective.

He rested his chin atop steepled fingers, surveying the room. He could detect Vincent Phantomhive in every nook and cranny, upon the bookshelves and the desk top, the very inkwells. A part of him regretted never knowing the man: others talked of him as some enigmatic being, and truly, he must have known a lot that he had no choice but to keep to himself. Undertaker had been undoubtedly close to him, and his tone turned to one of melancholy affection whenever the name arose. What had he truly been like, the former Phantomhive?

“I don’t suppose you’ve any advice for me?” Sebastian said aloud. The dust motes continued to fall unhindered by his query. He sighed softly, not expecting an answer. Rising from the chair, the edge of a large painting caught his eye. A large dresser that did not fit the décor of the room stood before it, obscuring the majority of the canvas from sight. Curious, the demon shifted it to the side – careful not to make much noise or rumple the carpet – and approached the gilded frame. At the bottom was a small engraved plaque. Brushing a layer of grime from its face, Sebastian read the two lines, “Nicolas Poussin”, beneath which was inscribed simply, “1648”.

The demon stepped back to take in the dark shapes. It was a carefully made reproduction of an original piece, he concluded, the brushstrokes almost too rigid in the artist’s determination to maintain authenticity. Still, it was a beautiful piece, vibrancy faded by age. In the bottom corner sat a man with a dusty red sash and a lyre slung across his lap. “Orpheus.” The butler smiled, recognizing the figure surrounded by adoring women. The charmer that could calm any beast and woo any human being. Sought after by women, but eternally dedicated only to one…

There she was, hiding beneath the frame of another woman. Her eyes were not on her husband, but staring in fright behind her. “Eurydice.” Sebastian recalled, tilting his head to examine her gentle features. The beautiful woman who died on her wedding day. Beyond the dark swell of bushes lay a snake, with whose venom would claim her life.

“Or,” the demon wondered, gaze shifting to the youth who stared after Eurydice with lust. “Was it the satyr that was her undoing? In her determination to remain faithful to her husband, she stumbled and fell upon the den of snakes, which then bit her ankle and claimed her life.” Something uncomfortable stirred within the demon. The very personifications of Lust and Envy was what stole the maiden’s life, had, in ways, hunted her down specifically.

His thoughts flickered back to his mate, curled up alone in the sheets of his bed: the beautiful Eurydice for whom his own Orpheus would sacrifice any material – his own being, even – if only to preserve her. It wasn’t a happy tale to relate to. He too would willingly enter the Underworld to regain what was lost if Lust and Envy – dark feathers, lusty grey eyes, the scent of Bulgarian roses – returned to claim what he held most precious.

“I won’t let you.” He vowed darkly.

Yet what was he to do? He could litter the ground with his own body and blood – would, if that was what it took to protect his mate and kit – but he could not hope to eliminate every danger, every enemy. Succubae, a harpy. He wouldn’t let them succeed, and yet he knew that more would come to fill their place. Humans, reapers, incubi. There would always be some adversary, some spurned admirer.

The beautiful Eurydice, who had died a double-death. Leading her from the depths of the Underworld, her faithful husband had disobeyed the gods and had turned to ensure that she was safe. She had faded before him, destroyed by his own good intentions. Was that it? Was it over-caution? Was it fear?

“How can I protect him?” he whispered aloud. The reply came to him without hesitation, as though supplied by a silent onlooker. The voice was not his own: soft and certain.

“Don’t look back.”

Sugared pastry overwhelmed his senses as he melted against the soft linens, face nestled in a tangle of blue-grey hair. At last, the contract had released him from his orders. Ciel was warm against his chest, hand unconsciously clenched around a handful of dress shirt, willing him closer. He could tell that his mate was suffering from a nightmare; soft mewls of anxiety escaping his lips as lids flickered in their dream state. He stroked the small of the teen’s back, willing the dark thoughts to go away, same as one would console a sleeping cat.

A soft gasp alerted him that Ciel had emerged, gasping in the cool evening air as one who nearly drowned. The smile didn’t falter when a single sapphire eye fluttered open. Gently he caressed the flushed cheek beneath his palm, welcoming his love into the temporary safety of reality. Gentle pink lips parted, questions gathering on the tongue between. “Yes, I’m truly here, my love.” The demon thought, broadening the path of his affections. Gently, he mapped out the contour of the other’s spine, the gentle dip of his back, the soft rise of his hips. He wanted to memorize every inch of that delicate skin.

Hesitantly the earl raised his own hand, hovering above the demon’s cheek. His breath caught, fingers sweeping down to trace cool patterns over the flesh, afraid that the butler would recoil at the intimacy. Sebastian keened imperceptibly towards the open palm, a smile settling across his lips as it descended and cupped his cheek. The touch was icy, but he could resolve that. He swept his thumb across his master’s face in gentle circles.

“Are you really here?” Ciel whispered, letting the question free. The demon’s gaze warmed, noting the wonder in his mate’s voice and the off kilter patter of his heart. Ciel pressed closer to his chest, as though afraid his vision would falter and he’d find himself alone. “I thought –.”

“You never clarified how long I was banned from your room, master.” Sebastian explained softly. “I left, and now I have returned.”

The earl nodded, lid eclipsing his eye, his body on the brink of surrender. To sleep or his own fantasy, Sebastian was uncertain. He massaged the knotted muscles of Ciel’s lower back, easing their bodies together. The younger flowed in to him, nuzzling as bare fingers wove their way in to his hair, soothing his scalp as they wound through his grey tresses. They eased to the base of his neck, cupping his head, gently beckoning him forward.

Then Sebastian’s lips met Ciel’s, innocent, soft, and yielding. He smiled in to the kiss, coaxing his master along, reveling in the inexperience of the younger. After a few seconds, the other responded, hesitantly moving against the demon, mimicking the gentle patterns Sebastian led him through. He felt electric, the most alive he’d felt in years. It was a different euphoria than fighting and bloodshed, but gave him an equally voracious appetite. He wanted to worship the body wrapped in his arms, to bathe the earl with his affections.

He flicked out his tongue, tracing the seam of the earl’s lips, begging entry. Ciel released a gasp that coalesced into a moan, mouth parting, his entire being folding open before the demon’s touch. Sebastian groaned softly – more sounds gone unnoticed in the intoxication of each other’s presence – and inclined forward, delving into the heady warmth of the teen’s mouth. A hesitant tongue met his own, submitting as he slid against and over it, gently brushing over the sensitive roof of his mouth, back over his tongue, guiding it forward.

The new sensations undid the remnants of the earl’s composure and he moaned openly, surging forward and furrowing his hands in to the lapels of the demon’s coat. Sebastian ushered a soft laugh, complemented by the other’s sudden urgency. He kissed the reddened lips decidedly, letting his hand fall free from the tangled patch of hair to trail across the earl’s jaw line, thumbing over the flushed cheek.

His blood was singing through his veins, alight with genuine affections and his own demonic cravings to lavish his mate with them. He itched to pin the willing body down beneath him, nip and kiss and lick over the small scar upon his neck – the sign of their spiritual union. He broke away, tempering himself, dragging his claws delicately along the sensitive line of skin. They caressed the expanse of neck and jaw, circling over the chin to trace over the swell of still parted lips. A curious tongue flicked out and tasted a digit, making the demon still.

Desire burned through Sebastian as – half lidded and fascinated – he watched the small pink tongue lathe over his finger yet again, curling as it neared the lacquer black claw. He was vaguely aware of his own lusty moans, but felt too distant to care. Those inexperienced, eager lips, the curious affections… it took no imagination at all to send the blood in his body pounding. Emboldened by the demon’s pleasure, Ciel willed the digit further, sucking it into his mouth until Sebastian could feel the velvety depths of his throat. The moan cut off as he watched, transfixed, as his mate bobbed gently about his finger, eagerly adding a second and then a third, tongue dancing and folding about them.

Sebastian felt his reserve slipping, he was caught somewhere between growls and purrs of pleasure, watching with a carnivorous intensity that only spurred his lover on. He hadn’t expected such a show; he yearned to reciprocate his gratitude, carnal urges mingling with swells of adoration as he felt himself growing hard. Ciel released his fingers with a moaning gasp, hand clasped over the demon’s palm, not wanting to lose the taste as his tongue rasped over the pads. Sebastian chuckled, watching intensely as he loosened his hand and caressed the hollows of Ciel’s throat, outlining the angled décolleté as it was bared willingly to him.

Clumsy hands shot forward, fisting the material of his blazer, then dress shirt, slipping the buttons through the holes. Needy palms smoothed over his chest, brushing the articles off the broad shoulders, pressing against bare flesh and reveling in the new sensations of skin caressing skin. A low growl rumbled through the demon’s chest and he caved to his desire, pressing his mate gently against the mattress and climbing over him.

Ciel gazed up at him, trembling with shaky breaths and excitement. Sebastian smiled down at him, finding purchase in the mass of hair yet again and combing through it encouragingly. The earl mewled at the touch, thoughts still trained upon the bare chest of his butler. Uncertainly he arched off the bed to place a kiss upon the exposed flesh, then another, and another, head cupped in the demon’s hand.

Sebastian melted against the other’s affections, surging forward to every brush of lips and darting brush of tongue. Soon the earl’s hands found purchase on his chest, trailing his kisses with curious touches, racing ahead and mapping out the tensing muscles of the demon’s abdomen, curling over and clamping possessively over his ribs, then sides, and low on his hips. Lips moved lower, tasting and sucking the canvas so willingly offered to him, sliding between the demon’s legs. He pressed up against him, intent on his exploration, finally coming to the band of Sebastian’s pants as his tongue flitted over the demon’s navel.

Sebastian gasped despite himself, keening into the promising touch, uncertain of when it was that he had eased back on to his knees. Ciel was fanned beneath him, hands trailing down his waist, pressing all too gently over the fronts of his thighs. “The tease.” He hummed internally, relinquishing power to his mate before his rational thoughts interfered. “Hell, how I want this, but…” – his mind blurred as the sinful tongue slipped slightly beneath the band of his pants – “…but not at the cost of his dignity.”

“No,” he insisted, gently pulling Ciel away by the fingers tangled in his hair. A heated cobalt eye blinked up at him, and the demon identified a quick burst of uncertainty pass through it. He swallowed, carefully arranging his words. “You’ve no idea how beautiful you look right now, my love. I don’t want you to stop, yet… please understand. I don’t wish to demean you; you’re worth so much more than that. You’re too precious to me.” Still the single eye silently asked if he had done wrong. “No. My lord, you shouldn’t –.”

The answering look cut him off; shock and blushing happiness and then gratitude in a cacophony of beautiful expressions and lust-laced scent. The final look knocked the breath from the demon’s chest and aroused him more than he expected as an unfamiliar dark smirked toyed over the earl’s lips. Deft fingers smoothed over the silken eye patch and unlaced it, letting it flutter unimportantly to the mattress. “I want to.” He replied huskily, fingers slipping over the interior of the demon’s thigh and oh.

Sparks of intense pleasure shot through Sebastian, drawing a moan from his lips as the warm palm stroked him through the thin material of his slacks. It took all of his will power not to grind down against the open hand as it worked over him, rubbing wide paths and the other came to join it, undoing the buttons at the waistband, eagerly palming down to stroke bare skin until he was exposed before the earl’s quavering breath.

Heady two-toned eyes stared up directly in to his, a gentle sheen of sweat dampening his mussed hair. A pink blush spread over his cheeks, pants escaping from seductive, parted lips. He looked absolutely wrecked with anticipation, and despite the throbbing need in his own body, Sebastian could find nothing but the sheerest, rawest love filling him. He wanted to rescind their past encounter, to pretend that this was their first in all manners, to bask in the adoring and curious looks as his mate came to understand pleasure and to dole it in return until Ciel was spent and satiated. To give until exhaustion overtook him.

Ciel melted beneath the demon’s half-lidded look, as though absorbing the unspoken proclamations of apology and undying fealty. Of love. The thrumming rabbit dance of his heart sped up and he broke the glance, and Sebastian tensed, shuddering in pleasure all at once as the velvety warm tongue descended on him, running from base to tip. A soft growl escaped him as his fingers furrowed deeper against the base of Ciel’s bobbing head. Thin, human nails, raked across his skin, tugging down the edges of his slacks and sampling the skin beneath. Their uncertain actions were made up for by the devious tongue that had escaped behind lips, which in turn closed around him, sucking and sliding over the tip of his member.

“My lord…” Sebastian growled huskily, fighting to keep control as he watched himself plunge in and out of Ciel’s mouth, growing only more aroused whenever he brushed across the back of his throat. “I was not aware this was a talent that you possessed.” Again he dipped out of sight, watching as the earl’s cheeks hallowed, mouth pressing in around him. His breath came out in erratic pants, and he moved the pads of his fingers in uncoordinated circles against Ciel’s scalp, determined not to harm him or reclaim control. It was blissful, utterly, beautifully, sinfully blissful to be at the whim of his master.

The earl hummed a laugh around his cock, aware of the demon’s utter lack of composure. The vibrations shocked through Sebastian and he groaned in pleasure, biting it back with a soft gasp as fingers circled him at the base, pumping with inexperienced determination. It was awkward, but more than enough, the genuine earnest kneading and coaxing him until all chaotic thought drained from his lust-numb mind. The shallow moans fell from his lips like prayers until he felt the coiled tightness take hold. He clenched the patch of hair beneath a shaky hand.

“Wait –.” He warned shakily, gazing – all but begging – down into hazy two-toned eyes. They scanned his face with heady interest, flushed even further and enticing. His lips were moist – oh and with what, the demon wondered – but still peppering him with lewd kisses and licks. Ciel grinned slightly, eyes hardening with a familiar determination, and then he was nestled deep against the demon’s skin. Warmth and pressure closed around him and Sebastian released with a shaky gasp, teeth nipping into his lip to quiet himself to little avail.

Then he was aware again, dazed, chest heaving. Ciel had gratified him. Gotten him off in the sexiest way he could ever fantasize – had fantasized – and all because he wanted to. Had he not just cum, he’d have been hard again. But oh those lips were only just moving away, licking him clean from base to tip, swiping over flushed and swollen lips and had he actually swallowed?

The lithe body climbed across his own, heated and damp. Salty lips pressed down over his own and he eagerly returned the kiss, twining his fingers with his mate’s and holding them palm-to-palm as though it were the most sacred thing to him. Ciel shivered against him, slightly more confident as he kissed and sucked the other’s lips, sweeter smelling still with desire and pregnancy. Sebastian rose from the mattress – now when had he fallen upon it? – cradling his master to his chest and seating him in his lap.

“That,” he sighed, interjecting with another kiss. “Was unexpected.”

“But good?” the earl returned, triumphant and hopeful all at once. He reached out to caress Sebastian’s cheek, seeking praise to tell him he was doing things properly. The demon smiled contentedly and keened in to the touch, delighted by the spark of happiness in his young mate.

“Very good.” He assured, nuzzling in to the crook of the other’s neck. The light crescent of the mate mark glinted beneath him, and he brushed his tongue against it, tasting the mixture of salty sweat and heated sugar. Instantly, Ciel gasped, rolling his neck to grant the demon better access as he littered the sensitive area with teasing nips and bruising kisses. The scent of the younger’s arousal intensified, wrapping around Sebastian like a pleading embrace, begging his blood to satisfy. He ushered a low growl, marking a path along the sloping neck to shell of the earl’s ear. “You should be careful when you do that, master;” he hummed warningly. “It’s a sign of submission in the culture of demons.”

“Submission…?” Ciel repeated wantonly, surrendering further still beneath the willowy fingers fanning across his body. He arched against the touch – against Sebastian’s hips – as it wound its way up his spine, another hand rubbing warm circles over his chest. Still, his neck remained opened, offering – the demon hummed deviously, running his fangs along the expanse, settling over the mark, pressing, just until the warmth of blood pooled between skin and lips, and he was curved back over the shell of the earl’s ear.

The younger gasped as cool air suddenly hit his neck, devoid all too quickly of the demon’s affections. “Who knew you make such a generous lover, my dear?” Sebastian mused to himself, smirking at his master’s shock and slight frustration. “So coy and demanding, just as in business. How can I not tease you a little?”

Again, he let his claws trail downwards, adding pressure to draw thin lines of crimson behind them, causing the earl to shudder and moan. “Pain is no deterrent to you, I see.” Sebastian smirked, growing aroused once more as his tongue went to lap up the beads of blood. His fingers danced across skin, brushing over the front of the dampened nightshirt, caressing with feather light touches over the fabric. Claws caught the thin buttons, slipping them loose expertly, exposing inch after inch of bare skin, taking time to savor each new expanse of quivering chest.

Ciel rolled beneath the pads of his fingers, surging in to the patterns he smoothed across his skin, breath hitching when they brushed over a pert nipple or tender side. He whimpered tantalizingly for the demon to see, doing his best to suppress his mewls of delight, sucking his lips in to his mouth, worrying them with flashes of teeth. The demon hummed out low moans of his own, watching the spectacle with intensity, wishing a million things at once. He wanted to see those lips parted in ecstasy, wanted to hear every sound, every slight gasp and moan, to learn what they all meant. He wanted to slip his fingers back inside that warm cavern and toy with his tongue, feel again the seductive way the earl sucked him, to kiss him deeply and smother out the moans with his own mouth. Let him experience every pleasure he knew how to give.

He raked his teeth over cartilage, gently pulling and eliciting a moan. Breathing hotly against his mate’s ear, feeling the resulting shiver, the spiked intoxicating pheromones. His tongue traced down along the shell, lathing the sensitive swatch behind it before sucking the tender lobe in to his mouth and nipping it as well. The ball piercing was cold against his tongue and he twirled it ever so slightly, delighting in the ragged gasp of his master. “The piercing I gave you myself.” He thought with satisfaction. Another physical proof of their bond. He relinquished his grip, hovering over the shell once more.

“How should I take you, my lord?” he husked.

Another beautiful moan tumbled from Ciel’s lips and he turned with sudden shyness, blushing and mewling submissively against the claws that trailed over his abdomen. “A-any way you’ll have me…” he gasped, avoiding the intensity of the demon’s gaze, placing lust-drugged kisses against the other’s chest.

Sebastian ushered another husky chuckle, sliding his hands across the pale frame of the teen’s body, the nightshirt sliding from his shoulders to hang loosely around his elbows. The demon worked his fingers down the heated trail of love bites and blossoming bruises, curling at last around the younger’s member. Soft gasps urged him on as he pumped slowly, languidly massaging and feeling the throb of blood beneath his skin. Deftly, he peeled away the thin band of undergarment, easing it down pale and shaking legs and pressing his mate down on to the rumpled comforter.

They were reversed, the demon hovering between the younger’s legs, stroking casually while grazing his fangs over raised hips. He sucked the skin until it purpled, licking away whatever blood trickled forward, peppering love bites across the sensitive region, evanescing to lewd kisses until his lips descended upon the other’s erection. He pressed his hot tongue against it, lathing across it in tortuously slow swipes before taking it entirely inside, rewarded instantly with a litany of moans.

“Oh.” The harsh whisper warmed him to the core, and he hummed in amusement at the earl’s near-virginal pleasure. The action thrummed against the other, and a half cry tore from his throat, quickly muffled by the heel of his palm. Sebastian smiled, intent on his work – knowing it would take very little to satisfy the still inexperienced earl – relishing in the small cries that broke through. As much as he yearned to hear his master loud and unabated, thrills shot through him as he watched the way Ciel writhed in efforts to silence himself lest he wake the mansion’s other occupants. It made him want to push his mate to new extremes.

He worked his master with practiced ease, pumping him in tandem with the movements of his head, varying pressure and letting up teasingly fast, denying him the dizzying pleasure of release. He would bide his time, kissing and licking and stroking until the edge wore off before setting back to a steady rhythm, humming around the earl’s member, letting it plunge deeper against his throat. Every motion, no matter how gentle, sparked a reaction. The twitch between his lips, a heady moan, fingers twisting around bed sheets. Ciel’s hips rocked, desperate and uncertain how to reach his own climax, turning slightly this way and that with each new jolt of pleasure. He panted and stuttered out broken words, raising his hips in delicious arches from the mattress, begging for completion.

But Sebastian smiled in his own sex-hazed amusement, careful not to increase the tempo enough to let his mate cum. The wanton display had him groaning as well, eyes carefully trained on every arousing movement of the other’s body. Ciel buried his face in the crook of his arm, nearly biting the flesh there to stifle his own voice. The demon ducked his head, letting the tip of the shaft brush against the back of his throat, delighting in the intimacy. “I have done the same unto you.” He thought appreciatively, running two fingers along the length of his mate’s erection as he pulled away. “We are equals, my love.”

Sucking just the tip, he let his fingers into his mouth, wetting them until he was satisfied. Gently, he lowered them to Ciel’s entrance, easing inside the blesséd, burning heat. A new cascade of whimpers and moans fell upon him and he kissed along the other’s cock, distracting him best he could from any potential pain. He felt like he was melting, dying of anticipation, caught in the contradiction of wanting to gratify them both and wanting to moment to stretch on infinitely. He belonged here, by his master’s side. By his mate’s side. Showering him with affection in every form he could possibly give, loving and supporting him in every way he could express. It was natural and beautiful and sacred and he was so legitimately grateful.

He found the place within Ciel’s body and began to massage in rhythmic circles until the moans became louder still, fraught with passion and need. Sebastian released a gravely laugh, lifting off of his mate to readjust himself over his body, hands still working over his most sensitive areas. He crushed their lips together and was met with equal desire, tongues sliding together desperately, not caring how sloppy their kisses were becoming, lost in the mind numbing feel of the other’s touch and body. Craving.

“Your body is so hot, my lord.” The demon whispered into his mate’s ear, greeted with an answering moan and rock of hips. “Inside of you it’s so tight and warm –.” His fingers pressed more firmly within the younger, undoing him from the inside out. Arms encircled his neck, fingers dragging harmless rows along his back as Ciel pushed himself forward, moaning as the action made him tighten around the digits within him.

“E-enough.” He instructed hoarsely, all but melting against the demon.

Sebastian froze, aroused but uncertain. “Have I offended you? Oh please don’t tell me it makes you remember –.”

But the dichromatic burned like heated jewels, mouth slack and begging to be kissed once more. Always once more. “I want you inside of me, Sebastian.”

Shock and love-fueled lust surged through the demon and he recaptured those alluring lips with his own, fingering him slowly a few more rotations before slipping out altogether. Sebastian moaned lowly, hardly able to think straight as he hitched the slender legs over his hips, positioning the heated body before him. His lips canvased and re-canvased open expanses of skin. What, he didn’t care, blazing it all with his gratitude. He could tell he was shaking, pent up with desire, strung high on emotions so numerous he couldn’t have named them all in a more composed state.

Finally he was buried deep within that warmth, filling his mate completely. He ran a hand along Ciel’s cheek, brushing away the dampened locks of hair that stuck to his flushed skin. He needed this moment more than anything. Smoldering crimson sought out blue and violet and they locked together, so like and unlike before. A mirrored reflection of that night, only this time something genuine and sincere had blossomed between them. “This is different.” The demon thought with willful affection. “This is how it should have been, how you deserved for it to be. This is the kind of love I’ve craved to give to you.”

He snaked a hand beneath his mate’s head, cradling it in his palm and curling his fingers about the messy tresses once more. Without breaking contact, he pulled gently away, thrusting slowly back into the earl’s body despite how he ached to take greedily. This thing they shared – Ciel himself – was too precious to treat like just another lover. Tediously, he worked up a tempo, stroking the still straining erection in time with his thrusts, watching until Ciel couldn’t help but screw his eyes shut in ecstasy, throwing his head back against his butler’s open palm.

They quickened then, as one. Desperate passion besieged the earl, loud gasps forcing their way out of his lungs as each needy rock of his hips brought him heightened pleasure. Fingers scrambled down to scrabble over Sebastian torso, seeking his hips and begging them to buck harder. There was no order anymore, no thought. The demon could scent their coupling as it hung in the air like an aphrodisiac. Dark chocolate and sex and sugar and sweat and plump berries and sex.

The fingers became more insistent, gripping tight in pleasured throes, raking angry red lines over his ass, his hips, then suddenly across his back, arms thrown about his neck as Ciel thrust and arched against him, fueling his desire. Soon they had reached a steady speed, the slap of skin drowned out by the moans they muffled against each other’s lips and skin. He held his young mate steady, directing his body towards the utmost pleasure, fingers leaving his cock every so often to stroke the gentle swell of abdomen beneath which their kit grew. The thoughts wouldn’t gather, but the emotions jumbled into a swell of knowing. Even if they only had one night, the demon would treasure the memory forever.

“Family.” He thought haphazardly. Ciel was trembling beneath him, writhing against every mere touch and ghost of a breath, a beautiful being blissfully lost in a sea of sensations. “Tonight… we truly are a family. This is how it’s supposed to be.”

“Sebastian!”

“Stay near to me always. I love you so dearly –.”

“Ciel.” The name escaped his lips in a breath of adoration. The teen froze, inhaling sharply as the demon’s mind reeled to catch up with his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say the word aloud. He ground to a stop, examining his mate closely and burning – although it wasn’t observable – with embarrassment. He held that name so closely vested to him that it barely was voiced in his thoughts, let alone… yet the face beneath him held only wonder and he could hear the trilling heartbeat skip and then pound harder. It felt so good on his tongue. Intimate.

He caressed the earl’s cheek and leant in to kiss him, sheets of dark hair spreading over them like a gentle halo. “My apologies…” he murmured, regaining a slow tempo. He pulled away to gauge the other’s face. “It was simply an accident, my lord.” The awe did not cease and the smallest hints of a smile hung about Sebastian’s lips. “I assure you it will not happen agai –.”

“Say it again.”

The demon blinked, genuinely shocked by the lusty order. He had anticipated mild acceptance or the more common mode of flustered forgiveness. He stared deep into the other’s eyes, searching for a catch. The teen laughed huskily, lifting up off the pillows about him and pressing their bodies together just so perfectly and there it was blissfully tight and with the slightest rock of his hips Ciel was moaning again, capturing the demon’s lip between his teeth. Gentle hands pressed against his shoulders and Sebastian allowed himself to fall against the recently vacated mattress, gasping lowly as the earl’s weight came upon him, legs tucked neatly on other side of his hips as Ciel straddled his lap.

A coy smile and an experimental shifting of hips and the demon knew that his mate had won some matter of dominance. “I want to hear you call my name, Sebastian.” Ciel ordered with sultry, lidded eyes. Again he moved himself up and down his butler’s member, shuddering as it plunged deeper into his body. It was all too much to endure. Sebastian rose slightly from the mattress, enveloping the younger’s hips in his hands, massaging and cupping his ass and thighs. Ciel shivered and let the demon direct their thrusts, pulling him down on top of himself.

“Ciel.” He growled lustily, regaining some control as he thrust up into his young mate. Hands pressed and teased over every exposed bit of skin, stroking and pleading and encouraging the other onwards. The earl threw back his head, neck outstretched to the demon beneath him. His eyes squeezed shut as ragged gasps escaped his lips as each angled thrust drew them closer and closer to the edge. “Ciel.”

“Take me!”

Suddenly Ciel’s back was to the headboard, legs clinging to the demon’s waist as he drove deep into his mate. A single hand held the other’s two above their heads, white knuckled but unnoticed, Ciel’s body fully exposed and open to him, their mingled cries the only thing left of their sanity.

Sebastian leaned in, bending the nubile body double, sinking his fangs into the crescent scar of Ciel’s neck. A gasp of twined pleasure and pain rushed against his ear and he echoed it, shaking with the overwhelming arrays of pleasure in both their bodies, inhaling the presence of his mate, pressing him close as hot breaths ghosted his own neck and the velvety heat clenched down about him, grasping to the final edge as spasms shot through them both.

Shaking arms looped about his neck, pressing them together, Ciel kissing him passionately as he moaned deeply to the sound of his own name.

“Sebastian –.”

Ciel clenched about him, spilling over on to his hand, legs wrapped tight about his hips, urging him deeper, closer… and Sebastian was shaking, pouring every last ounce of himself forward, riding out the last throes of ecstasy before they collapsed against the other’s embrace.

Immediately, he nuzzled against his mate’s neck, licking the reopened wound gently, savoring every precious drop in blood. It was coppery against his tongue and it too was permeated with sweat and sex, but he gladly wiped it clean from the porcelain skin. He gave a tired smile and freed his fingers from their hold on the other’s head, untangling a few damp strands of hair before cupping a pinked cheek. Small tracks of tears dotted the earl’s face and Sebastian gently licked them up too with a comforting feline fashion.

The demon edged away, resting Ciel beneath him on to the pillows, slipping from his body and watching with satisfaction as the earl relaxed against the mattress. Their chests still heaved and though it was much too hot for contact, they nestled close, an unspoken need to retain their physical unity. Sebastian’s fingers listed over his mate’s body, assessing the damage that he couldn’t bring himself to regret and working out the kinked muscles until the teen’s breathing had slowed enough to talk.

“Are you alright?” he asked tenderly, massaging a hip around its array of discoloured love bites. A metallic tang alerted him that his mate had bled from their encounter, but no signs of pain crossed the other’s face as he turned to him laboriously.

“Exhausted.” He breathed, drawing his butler to him by the base of his skull. Sebastian’s expressed softened, content that his mate was unharmed, and kissed him softly. “Mmm.”

“Mmm.” The demon agreed, pulling away. “Would you like me to bathe you, my lord?”

“I’d much prefer staying here.” The other replied softly, stealing another kiss. “That can wait.” Sebastian smiled and pulled him to his chest, embracing him there.

“Hmm, I suppose it can.” He murmured, nuzzling into the freshly made mate mark. The defenses had yet to go up this time, and ripples of hope pulsed through him. He nestled against the other’s hair, content in inhaling his scent. “Master, was what you said true?”

“Was what?” Ciel asked deliriously, stroking his lover’s face with a content smile.

“Do you love me?”

The demon dared not breathe as gentle two-toned eyes met his. He knew he had laid himself bare, was allowing all of the hopeful curiosity and boundless love pour forth. Words, mere words were what he was hinging on. He had relinquished his safety and given the other the power to utter destroy him.

“Yes.” The reply was soft and certain. “I love you.”

Sebastian brushed forward, passionately capturing Ciel’s lips in his own, melding into soft kisses and licks of utmost relief and love and gratitude. He parted with a gentle sound and nuzzled against his mate, drawing his lips over the other’s ear. The words escaped him in one blissful breath he’d been holding in for far too long.

“I love you, too, Ciel.”

Hands fisted in his hair and drew them closer together, passionate kisses flowing between them both, faint touches and caresses exchanged lovingly as they settled down. They melted into each other’s lazy kisses as exhaustion stole over them, leading them off to sleep with smiles on their faces as they lay nestled in each other’s arms as equals.

When Sebastian awoke it was early morning, greying but dark as the shadows slowly took the forms of dressers and armoires and chairs. Ciel had remained tucked in to his chest, his hot breath pooling against his sternum. The demon smiled and parted slightly from his mate, giving their bodies room to breathe lest the mounting heat awaken the younger or make him feverish. Gently, he traced the contour of the other’s body, gliding over the bare skin that prickled with unconscious warmth beneath his fingers. The teen sighed a contented moan and rolled halfway to his back, baring himself open.

Sebastian smiled and nestled his face against his mate’s shoulder, letting his roaming hand rest at the swell of the other’s hip. The gentle waves of Ciel’s sleeping breath lulled him into a dreamless daze. The minutes gave way to hours and before he knew it, the first hazy pricks of sunlight were drifting through the blinds. It fell in amber beams across the carpet, softened by the morning fog and the purled grey clouds so typical of a London winter.

He watched as time unfurled about him, for once at peace with the notion. The titillations of birds began, and somewhere across the estate Agni was waking and preparing for the day. It was a calm like he had never known. The sun rose higher still and the chamber grew a smoky blue grey. The demon smiled, recalling an old tale he had heard in his younger years. “When demon cats die,” the wispy blonde had told her wide-eyed kit, “they go to the heavens and become stars. We worship the sun in the morn, and when we pass, we too become light.”

The kit had furrowed its brow in deep concentration, “Then who brings the sun? What if it doesn’t come one morning?”

His mother had laughed and pet his little triangular ears, “The ancestors bring it, dear sweet. When the dogs finish baying their praises to the moon, the spirits of our predecessors awaken in the night sky and run across the heavens, united as a single clan, and they come and wake the sun each morning.”

“Why?” the kit asked innocently.

His mother smiled at him fondly and placed a kiss to his forehead. “So that we may share in their eternal warmth and feel the love every mother has for her kits, dear sweet.”

Sebastian hummed at the memory, stroking across the precious stomach beside him with utmost care. “Perhaps one day I will tell you that story, little love.” He whispered to their unborn child. Warm garnet eyes smiled back at him in his mind’s eye. Their beautiful kit. He placed a kiss to Ciel’s cheek and the teen began to stir, stretching the sleep from his muscles. The mismatched eyes fluttered open, still hazy with dreamless comfort. The demon purred low in his throat, warmth spreading through him at his mate’s innocent smile. He leaned in to kiss him awake.

“Good morning.” The younger yawned, moving to accommodate the demon as he nuzzled against his cheek.

“Good morning, darling.” Sebastian hummed back affectionately, delighting in the deep stain that rose across the earl’s cheeks.

“You’re terrible.” He muttered, glancing away as he buried himself in the demon’s chest. Sebastian chuckled, unfazed by the show of embarrassment. He kissed the blushing cheek, letting his fingertips fall back to the other’s abdomen, circling light patterns over the fragile skin. He swept his thumb across the hollow of Ciel’s navel, smiling when the earl’s breath hitched at the unfamiliar sensations. Hesitant fingers closed down over his own, lacing and pressing together over the place. Sebastian nearly purred with contentment.

Ciel was gazing at him with wonder and confusion, but he could only answer with affectionate racing thoughts. “This is what you’ve been craving, my darling. You’ve yearned for this physicality, for my love. Confirmation that this sacred being within you is truly ours.” The earl melted under his look, hesitantly beginning to speak.

“I thought –.” He began, and the demon stared back patiently. Ciel blinked, surprised the two words weren’t enough to explain; Sebastian inwardly laughed at the innocence. He was an acute observer, but he wasn’t a labyrinth of omnipotent knowledge as his mate seemed to view him as. The earl faltered, voice dropping low. “I nearly killed it.”

He hadn’t quite anticipated that. ‘Terminated’, perhaps, but not something as cutting and blunt as ‘kill’. He averted his eyes, assessing every spare centimeter of unharmed skin, forcing back the urge to hold the earl tightly and nuzzle the pain away. But such feline actions couldn’t be understood by him, not just yet, and so the demon refrained.

“I thought it would be easier.” Ciel quipped. “I didn’t want – I don’t want –.”

“You couldn’t bear the thought of losing it.”

“You made your decision.” Sebastian interjected, folding himself around the other in a simple embrace. He dusted a kiss to the earl’s temple. “And I will honor that choice as your servant and as your –.” Well bother, what was he exactly? The demon paused, seeking a proper term from the male in his arms. Ciel blinked back vaguely, blushing but not certain what to suggest either. He yearned to use ‘mate’, and yet he was not yet bound to Ciel in return.

“As yours.” He decided, cradling the other’s hand in his own and kissing the tips of the chilly fingers. “I will not let harm come to you or our child.”

Some flame like life sprung up behind the earl’s eyes and a grin split his features. The demon smiled in reply with a gentle laugh – it was the first time they had settled on a possessive ‘our’. Drunk off of sheer elation, he leant forward and nuzzled and kissed his mate, pouring forth his gratitude and relief with every press of their lips. The sheets entangled further about them but they paid them no mind, tumbling about with soft laughter.

“Now then,” Sebastian said lightly, rising from the mattress and scooping the earl into his arms. Several bed sheets went with them and he gleefully ignored them as they sprung free of the wooden frame. Ciel shivered against the sudden rush of cool air, nuzzling against his arms before blushing, suddenly coming to the realization how nude the pair of them were. Sebastian smirked in amusement – he certainly had few qualms about his own body – and carried his master in to the bathroom. “Let’s clean up, shall we?”

“U-uhn.” Ciel replied distractedly, quickly turning to hiss as cold marble touched his skin. He shifted on the countertop, trying to get used to the sudden stimulus. The demon hummed richly in his throat, an aroused smirk twitching over his lips. His mate stared up at him with pining eyes. He brushed a palm against the younger’s cheek and was immediately rewarded with a needy keen. He chuckled deeply and placed a kiss to the skin instead, breathing against the other’s ear, “Later.”

Suddenly he was by the tub, setting about preparations for the bath, unable to wipe the smirk off his face. For a while he could feel the hopeful eyes trained upon him, but after a time the feeling faded and he knew that the earl had immersed in his own thoughts. He watched surreptitiously as he drew the warmed water, patiently waiting for the questions that were bound to come. He had noticed something peculiar on the way into the bathroom: a particular sheathed knife lying neatly beneath the cracked mirror. The events of the night before clicked in to place and he could not help but to expel a chagrined sigh.

“You see? This could have ended differently than you intended.” He thought harshly, directing his ineffective frustrations to the mortician holed up some miles away. “Even I interpreted this gift as something else entirely.”

It hadn’t been long after the exchange that the demon had wound his way back through the dark side alley streets and arrived at the undertaker’s doorstep. The man had cocked his head in genuine surprise, taken aback by Sebastian’s hostility.

“Wha’ ‘ave I done, then?” he questioned in thick Cockney, crossing his arms over his chest. The demon had snarled and appeared directly before the man, not giving a damn about politeness or personal space.

“Don’t. Fuck. With me. I know exactly what you gave him. The nerve of you – and I thought you cared for his state of mind!”

The mortician recoiled in confusion, calmly catching the clawed hand that went to seize his robes. The demon growled in warning, but the other paid him no heed, gently stroking the upheld wrist. “Now calm down ‘ere, Sebastian. I believe we’ve ‘ad a… misunderstanding. I don’ see why you’d ever think I’d wish to ‘arm the little poppet, you know ‘e’s as good as family to me.” He gave the demon a firm look through his bangs and Sebastian settled slightly, teeth gritted and unmoving from his spot. “Tha’ knife belonged to ‘is grandfather, see. I was merely passing an ol’ ‘eirloom along. Makes a good weapon.”

“Weapon?” Sebastian echoed. “He has a gun, you know.”

Undertaker chuckled lightly, tossing his great mane of hair. “A gun.” He repeated in turn. A single clawed digit bent forward and rested against the demon’s chest. “An’ wha’s a bullet t’you? A tickle? You think ‘e can take on a snatcher wi’ tha’?” He inclined his head, begging an answer.

Sebastian had sighed and stepped out of the other man’s hands, wrinkling his nose in vexation. “Couldn’t you have been a little less vague about it, then? What do you suppose he’ll come to think, what with you giving a thing like that?”

“Wha’s the matter wi’ it?”

The demon shot him a deadpan stare. “If he harms himself or the kit? By force?”

The embalmer paused, hands frozen comically in midair. He frowned a moment before rolling his shoulders into a casual shrug. “‘E ‘as you, don’t ‘e?” He said lightly. “‘E internalizes more’n you give ‘im credit for – it isn’t something ‘e could bring ‘imself to do.”

The demon shook himself as the water surged over his hands. He sighed and fiddled with the taps, padding his hands dry with a small towel. It was lucky that Undertaker had been correct in his assumptions – even if they were very nearly wrong. Still, there was something in the way the mortician had phrased his words that made him wonder if he hadn’t suspected their feelings for one another all along. “The cryptic bastard.” He thought wryly to himself.

He fished about the silver basket through vials and tubs of bath ingredients. He palmed a pink container with a doily on its lid, scooping out the flowery salt. “Sebastian.” The sound of his own name gave him pause, and he quirked a brow at his master. “Why do they want the baby dead?”

The demon smiled sadly as he let the granules pitter patter into the bath, blossoming with ringlets of pink that faded out as they sunk beneath the surface. He stowed the remaining supplies and swept the earl back into his arms, carrying him bridal style to the tub. Unabashed, he eased them both into it, situating with soft sounds of delight as the temperature relaxed their muscles. Ciel nestled against him and the smile grew more genuine. He scooped a small handful of the rose-scented water and let it cascade down the younger’s chest, beginning to bathe him.

The baby. The terminology sounded so foreign and peculiar to his ears. He dismissed the notion and answered with a question of his own, “I thought you understood it was a matter of blood purity, my lord?”

“I do.” The earl confirmed, pressing against the caress of Sebastian’s claws against his scalp. “However, I doubt that they would go to such great lengths to ensure something as simple as blood purity.”

The demon quieted, knowing he’d have to own up to his blood. Resignedly, he toyed the tangles free from his lover’s hair, gently soaking it until it fell in smooth sheets. It wasn’t that he wanted to be untruthful, he merely wasn’t thrilled by his own heritage, having spent a large chunk of his formative years fearing – and in turn despising – all other races that thought of demons as no more than a speck of dirt beneath their shoes.

“You would be correct, my lord.” He sighed, feeling about for the rounded bar of soap. “Blood purity is an excuse.” – “Save for the snobby aristocrats.” – “Most importantly, it is a power struggle.”

“Power struggle?” Ciel repeated, voice trembling on a whimper as lathered hands worked their way down his neck and back, scrubbing him of the night’s activities. The demon nodded to himself as he worked over the unblemished skin.

“The kit’s blood has erased all of the bruises I gave you, it seems.”

“Usually,” he continued aloud. “Succubae and incubi alike will let the birth of a cambion go, despite the fact that they are notorious for their wild and violent tendencies. Though one would think that human blood would dilute this, it actually possesses the opposite effect: the conflict of human and incubus or succubus blood makes the cambion unstable both mentally and physically – much like the snatchers. However, they do possess the means to be eloquent and refined, capable of functioning as a full incubus until they snap –.” He broke off the train of thought, sighing.

“So this means…?” Ciel asked slowly, shuddering at the implications.

“No.” the demon replied, shifting to scrub away the cum and blood along his mate’s thighs, not missing the small hitch of breath when he pressed closer. “I, myself, am only half incubus.”

“Half?” The word slipped off his tongue unabated, the scent of his arousal already mingling with the aromas of the rose salt. Sebastian hummed lowly, lips pressed against a bare shoulder as he bent his mate forward, circling his entrance with soap slicked fingers and pressing it inside, letting the warm water seep in.

“Yes.” He purred, knowing that the earl’s train of thought had long since derailed, but continuing on dutifully as soft moans met his ears. “Half incubus and half cat demon. The mixture of a demon with an animal familiar with an incubi or succubi is often said to be one of the most powerful beings.” He chuckled with pride, licking up the slope of Ciel’s spine. “I doubt that there’s ever been a case of that mixing with human blood.” He thought to say more but trailed off, watching with rapt attention the way the earl’s head pressed back against his chest as another finger slipped inside, exposing the arc of his slender neck. Hungrily, he made small scissoring motions with his fingers until Ciel was writhing against him, pressing into the hardened length at his back.

“So, naturally, they’re afraid of the product of our union.” He continued silkily. “Incubi and succubi are proud creatures and choose to eliminate anything more powerful than themselves rather than accept its existence humbly – the reason that there are very few hybrids with incubi and succubi like myself.” His lips curled into a smug grin. “Is there something the matter, my lord?”

“You –.” The earl grumbled, quickly silenced by the fingers that slid into his mouth and stroked gently across his tongue.

“I apologize for doing this to you, my lord.” Sebastian husked against his ear, feeling anything but sorry. “I just cannot seem to help myself when you’re so –.” He cut off with a lusty gasp as Ciel sucked the fingers into his mouth, lathing over them without hesitation. The demon growled, slipping his over hand free and replacing the digits with himself, shuddering with pleasure as the earl squirmed and closed about him. He cradled the trembling body to him, curling a hand about the other’s erection. “Let’s make this fast, shall we?”

Quick thrusts and sighing moans brought them over the edge, climaxing with frenzied touches and kisses, experiencing all over again each other’s embraces. The tempo, the location – none of it mattered, the world fading away as they fell upon each other again and again, caresses and favors and gentle bites. Against the counter, then the wall, tipping backwards onto the mattress, nuzzling and whispering soft utterances of love to one another. At last they curled together among the sheets, drowsy with sex and warm afternoon light. Sebastian kissed his mate, inhaling their twined scents, lacing their fingers together between their chests and feeling for all the world at peace.
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Together Again