✨Seeing in the Dark✨

🌹Chapter 3: Opus 3🌹

Sunlight streamed through the loft and Ciel rolled over, away from the bright light. His eyebrows furrowed and his nose tickled, a sneeze threatening to escape his mouth. He quelled the action last minute and buried his face into the pillow. Shoulders relaxed and the faint trickles of sleep began to brush against Ciel's mind again.

They lured him into the soft embrace of a dreamland and Ciel happily answered the call. His body protested the thought of waking and it relaxed further into the bed. He pulled the blanket up higher around his shoulders, feeling it resist slightly. Something held the fabric down next to his shoulder.

Ciel frowned and tugged harder, upsetting the weight. Something jingled and then hit the ground with a soft thump. Ciel pointedly ignored it. He would find the cause when he woke up in a few hours. It was too early for this, his mind concluded.

The noise sounded again, like a small bell in Ciel's ears, before the mattress dipped next to his waist. It continued to move, slowly growing closer to his shoulder again and Ciel squeezed his eyes shut. "Go away," he mumbled.

It stopped and Ciel relaxed once more, assuming that the weight went away – whatever it was. He couldn't bring himself to care, not when precious sleep lingered just within his grasp.

His eyes flew open though when something hard and furry bumped itself against his cheek. Ciel blinked several times, struggling to focus on his surroundings after waking so quickly. It took him a few seconds before his vision cleared and he looked across the span of his pillow, curious eyes gazing back at him.

Ciel's heart seemed to freeze in his chest and he gripped the blanket tighter. His breath caught, a sharp inhale that sent him coughing as his throat was dry and scratchy after a peaceful night sleep. He coughed several times before turning his attention back to the thing that had startled him in the first place.

A black cat stared back at him with wide eyes and a tail flicked at him. "You," Ciel started and the cat simply purred loudly before bumping its head against his arm. "You almost killed me."

The cat simply mewed at him, looking smug. It moved forward, shifting closer to his lap and the small bell on its collar rang slightly. Ciel flicked it, suddenly understanding what the noise was that he kept hearing last night and this morning. Figured Sebastian would have a cat and Ciel shook his head at the irony of it.

"So not only did you try to kill me," Ciel grumbled and rubbed at his nose. "You also woke me up this morning by almost making me sneeze."

The cat continued to purr, its body reverberating and Ciel sniffed. He could feel his starting to water and his nose itched again. A harsh sneeze passed through his lips and the animal bolted from his lap. The black tail puffed up and slitted eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of the noise.

Ciel laughed and pulled the blankets tighter around his body. "Serves you right," he said and sneezed again.

From downstairs, a soft 'bless you' floated into the loft and Ciel glanced over his shoulder, as though he expected to find Sebastian standing behind him. The only thing that greeted him was the open space that looked out over the first floor. He stood up and made his way over to the area; stumbling slightly over the mess of sheets and blankets that pooled around his feet.

He peeked over the wall and looked down into the living room. Sebastian sat on one of the couches, drinking something while he listened to the news. His hair stuck up in several places, a somewhat messy but endearing bed head in Ciel's opinion, and he still wore what looked like his pajamas.

The faint smell of toast wafted through the apartment and Ciel's stomach growled at the scent. He looked around for a clock and found one mounted on the wall. Its face proclaimed the time as nine-thirty and Ciel ran a hand through his messy hair. "Didn't think it was that late," he murmured and made his way back to the bed.