✨Seeing in the Dark✨

🌹Chapter 8: Opus 8🌹

Ciel woke up late the next morning to the cries of a very hungry cat. Soot mewled insistently next to his ear and when Ciel refused to budge, she took to butting her head against his. A harsh sneeze tore from his mouth and for a moment, Soot bolted away. She came back a second later and Ciel gave in.

"Looks like you weren't the only one kicked out last night," he muttered to her and watched her with a single eye. He refused to lift his head from the pillow, content to ignore the real world for the time being.

Soot stared at him, tail twitching on the ground before she pawed at his arm. Ciel sighed and reached forward, indulging her. His fingers scratched under her chin, making Soot purr and inch closer. They both froze when Ciel's stomach growled and Soot gave him a pointed look. As well as a cat could at least.

Ciel groaned and slowly sat up. He pushed Soot away before she could climb into his lap and glanced over his shoulder to look out of the loft. Dark clouds obscured the sun that normally woke up Ciel. "Think those two are still asleep as well?" he asked and strained his ears for any sound. The apartment remained silent. "Guess that's a yes."

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. There was no sense in stalling. Eventually he would need to go downstairs and eat. Might as well do it now before the unpleasant feelings could rise even more.

Soot trotted at his heels as he walked down the hallway and to the kitchen. He avoided looking further past the kitchen, knowing that he couldn't stomach seeing Sebastian's room right now. He didn't know what time he finally fell asleep the other night, but his sleep remained restless and he tossed and turned for several hours.

His thoughts filled with the happenings in Sebastian's room and his dreams betrayed him, putting him in Johan's spot. It probably wasn't healthy for him but Ciel remained powerless to his subconscious.

Ciel plugged the water heater in and then reached for a large mug. He could use some tea now. It would help soothe his nerves and give him something to do while he waited for everyone to wake up.

He nearly dropped the mug when a loud snore sounded from the other side of the kitchen and Ciel wheeled around. His eyes darted to Soot, who watched him and patiently waited for breakfast, and then back to the living room. "You surely didn't make that noise," he mumbled and Soot voiced her agreement.

He set the mug on the counter and silently moved forward. With soft feet, Ciel circled the barstools and approached the larger couch. The blanket that usually draped over the edge of the couch had vanished from last night and Ciel cautiously looked over the piece of furniture.

Another snore left the person sleeping on the couch, their face pressed against the pillow and a thin trickle of drool stained the fabric. Messy black hair splayed over the pillow and one arm hung over the edge of the couch but the blanket covered the rest of the body. Ciel sincerely hoped he had clothes on under the blanket.

Ciel smirked and he rounded the couch, squatting down in front of the sleeping male. "Did Sebastian kick you out last, Johan?" he teased. Johan made a noncommittal noise and Ciel covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

He stood back up and looked over his shoulder at Sebastian's door. He didn't know how Johan ended up on the couch last night but he could only hope that Sebastian had kicked him out. If so, then nothing would've happened between them. The uneasiness in Ciel's chest lifted at the thought and he struggled to keep a tight grip on it. He couldn't let his hopes get up just yet.

With a quiet hum, Ciel wandered over to Sebastian's room and pressed his ear against the door. "Sebastian?" he called, trying to judge if he was up or not. Silence met him and Ciel grumbled under his breath.