Children's Games (a Sebaciel Fanfic)

Part 10

But wait... there's more!

~MidniteFanfic

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Hours passed and Ciel slept, dreams vivid and mildly disturbing. Faces, that of Alois and Claude, both glaring at him, through him. He found himself naked and falling into a dark pool, his head slipping below the water before he could find anything to grasp on to. He saw Sebastian's face, smooth and calm, and as he reached for his loyal butler the face changed, morphed to that of Claude, whose citrine eyes were slitted like that of a snake. Ciel pulled away from him and felt himself slipping down deeper into that pool until the faces turned to dark shadows before him. He took a breath, his lungs filling slowly with the dark liquid destined to consume him.

He jerked himself awake, finding himself in a cold sweat, surrounded by a whirlpool of blankets and linens. Fighting his way out of the entanglement of blankets, he gasped for breath, looking around wildly as he struggled for freedom. After several moments he freed his arms, stopping to take a closer look at his surroundings. I'm here... it was only a nightmare.... I'm safe... his breath began to settle, and he collapsed back onto the feather pillows, comforted by finding himself alone and protected in his own bed.

Lying there on his back he laced his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes to the darkness around him. It must have been late, his stomach rumbled quietly, and he was terribly thirsty. A glance at the clock told him it was just past two in the morning, far earlier than he usually rose. The little Lord sat up, tossing his legs over the side of his bed, feet dangling just above the floor. He stretched, arching his back, and hopped off the edge, slipping on his house shoes before making his way to the washroom, slippers padding softly on the sapphire Damascus floor.

In the washroom he found himself before the washbasin, gazing at his unkempt reflection. Bluenette locks plastered to his forehead, obscuring his vision, a rosy glow to his cheeks from the combination of both the fight and flight response. He shook his head and splashed a great deal of the water onto his skin, letting it run down his collarbones and pool there. The cool of the water felt heavenly against his burning skin, and it seemed as though his thirst would absorb it through osmosis. He glanced around, as though someone were watching, and leaned to the basin, taking a small sip from the cool water, wiping the remaining drops on the sleeve of his nightshirt quickly. Ciel looked in the mirror once again and ran fingers through his hair, doing his best to appear less like the ragamuffin he resembled upon first waking. Amethyst and sapphire eyes blinked back at him from the mirror, and he smiled a little, then padded back out of the washroom to find his favorite royal blue robe.

His head felt clearer now, but clarity of the present did not equal clarity of the past, and he was not entirely sure how much of the past few hours had been a nightmare. Slipping the robe over his slim shoulders he returned to the bed and reached for his eye patch but stopped short. I ordered Sebastian to send them away. It's just the two of us here. The memory was clear, he was sure it was real, not part of the haze he felt clouding the details of his recollections. He left the patch and headed towards the door, intent on making his way to the kitchen to find something sweet. He remembered the lava cakes Sebastian had made earlier in the day and quickened his pace.

Making his way down the great hallway, Ciel smiled. He liked being alone in the mansion, knowing he was free to roam the halls as he liked with no servants underfoot. He stepped lightly down the stairs, slowing as he reached the main floor; there were no rugs in the main hall to quiet his footsteps. He took off his slippers and stepped barefoot on the cold, hard floor. His little toes curled at the frigid touch, but he became accustomed to it quickly. His footsteps were almost silent now as he made his way toward the kitchen, holding his slippers in one hand.

Just before he reached the kitchen door, he heard a voice float softly from the servants' quarters, it may have even been a laugh. Ciel stopped, holding his breath as he listened. That voice, that was Sebastian's voice, he was sure of it. After all, he had sent all the servants away for the evening. Stepping quickly towards the hallway to the servants' quarters, he caught a glimpse of a light peeking dimly through the crack of one of the doors. Slippers still held in hand Ciel slipped surreptitiously down the hall, hiding himself in the shadows. The closer he came to the door the more certain he became that it was indeed Sebastian's door from which the faint light was emanating. The butler's words became clearer as Ciel closed in; his bare feet soundless against the cold floor.

"Now, now, I've told you before not to be so rough. What will my young Master think if I should serve him covered in scratches?" Sebastian spoke softly, virtually purring. "That's better, be gentle." Ciel crept up next to the door and tried to peek inside but saw only a hint of Sebastian's shoes sitting empty beside the bed. Frustrated, the bluenette pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear. He could hear a soft sound, something he couldn't quite identify, then heard Sebastian moan softly. "That's a good girl. Yes, that's much better..." Ciel felt his blood begin to boil.

"How dare you..." He whispered softly, peering through the crack once more. Rage grew within him as he tried to banish the thought of Sebastian lying in his quarters, some streetwalker lying beside him, giggling incessantly as he cooed pleasantries to her.

"Come, lie down, my love, let me hold you..." As Ciel strained to listen he grew livid, hearing the lecherous tone in Sebastian's voice as he soothed her, words growing softer until they were indistinguishable. He heard his butler laugh softly. "Now, now, that tickles..." The young Lord's anger boiled over, and he lost himself. Positively irate, he swung the door open with all his might and it banged hard against the wall, making the vase on the bedside table shake.

Sebastian, who had been lying on his bed stroking a black cat that was stretched the full length of his lean torso, startled, his hands grasping the feline as he sat up on the bed, eyes wide at the interruption "Young Master!" The cat screeched and dug its claws into Sebastian's bare chest as it pushed off him, leaving deep, bloody gashes across his slender, pale torso. Sebastian groaned softly at the sharp pain and the cat made for an escape, crashing wildly through the room before stopping a moment to hiss at Ciel. The bluenette stared down at the black creature in surprise, and it bolted down the hallway away from him, disappearing into the darkness. "Oh dear. And she had only just settled in for the night..."