Work Text:
“Master…?”
Sebastian knocked on the doorway to Ciel’s study, looking in at the room lined with bookshelves, the fireplace crackling in the background. His voice was soft, quiet enough that he didn’t really expect for Ciel to hear him, or maybe he was just nervous. Ciel was sitting at his desk, working on more paperwork, as he had been for a while. There was more paperwork required of the Queen’s Watchdog than one might expect, especially since Ciel was now an adult.
Despite the demon’s quiet voice, Ciel heard him and looked up from his work, seeing Sebastian standing quietly in the doorway, his hands drawn up near to his chest, clasped, instead of his usual posture with his hands at his sides or behind his back. Ciel frowned a little, that usually meant something was wrong… “What is it, Sebastian?”
“May I speak with you?” Sebastian asked, voice soft and quiet.
Ciel nodded and stood, moving from his desk to the couch, smiling at Sebastian. It was a rather redundant question, he thought, considering they were already talking - but he knew this meant that Sebastian wanted to have a longer conversation, and hopefully some time together. In their years together, both as master and servant and as partners, he’d learned a lot about his butler’s mannerisms. He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. “Sit with me, Sebastian. Talk to me.”
Sebastian walked in carefully, hesitating to sit until Ciel tapped the spot again. Ciel looked at him marveling in the way they were almost the same height now. Unlike CIel, Sebastian never seemed to age, neither in body or mind, and it had made them closer and closer to equals both in stature and in mental state. No longer was Sebastian a caretaker, though he still took care of Ciel, he was now a caring friend. The gap in knowledge and maturity that had been so obvious when Ciel was a child now seemed nonexistent, and they met each other as equals, instead of the obvious imbalance of before. It had opened a gate neither of them had really been aware of, giving them a different view of each other as they came to understand each other more. Now, they had more equal levels of experience, at least in the concept of human things.
Ciel knew Sebastian was impossibly old, but the demon seemed not much older than him.
He smiled at Sebastian and took his hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it as Sebastian returned the smile. He was happy that Sebastian no longer felt the need to be perfect and infallible, especially around him. He enjoyed seeing the more human, imperfect, vulnerable side of his demon.
Sebastian took a deep breath. “You’ve been very busy lately, and I know it cannot be helped - you know that, I know I drilled it into you enough when you were younger.”
Ciel nodded, moving closer to Sebastian and leaning against him. “What is it, Sebastian? Did something happen?”
Sebastian shook his head. “It’s nothing like that, my lord. It’s just, well… I do not mean to make you feel guilty by saying this, but I’ve been feeling rather neglected. I do not mean to be needy, but it feels like I hardly get to just… be with you."
Ciel gasped softly, realizing that he really hadn’t been spending any time with Sebastian recently… He knew he was always a bit upset when Sebastian was occupied for long stretches of time, so why hadn’t he realized that Sebastian might feel the same? He frowned and shifted, turning to hug Sebastian, pulling him into a warm embrace.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian,” he said, “I didn’t realize that I was working that much, or that it had been affecting you. I’ll make sure to spend more time with you, okay? I have a bit until I hit my deadline, so I can work a bit slower.”
Sebastian paused for a moment before smiling, leaning into Ciel’s embrace with a happy sigh. He knew Ciel hadn’t done it on purpose, but while it had taken him a long time to learn, he knew Ciel preferred it when he spoke his mind and let Ciel know if he was ever unhappy with something, even if it was a small thing. He leaned his head against Ciel’s shoulder, soaking up his master’s affection and purring softly.
“It’s okay,” he whispered back, “I know you didn’t mean to.” He nuzzled against his master and prompted a soft laugh from Ciel, feeling CIel’s fingers running through his hair. He purred louder and nuzzled closer, much like the cats he so loved. It felt so peaceful like this. So warm and safe. “... Can we stay like this for now?”
Ciel laughed softly. “Of course, my dear butler. For as long as you want. I love you, you know.”
“I love you too.” Sebastian smiled at his master, feeling warm and content. He held onto Ciel slightly tighter than usual, but even that was slowly fading, the clinginess that came from missing affection slowly faded as he lay against his master. He could hear the soft crackle of the fireplace in the background, he could hear Ciel’s breathing, and feel his heartbeat. It was so peaceful and comfortable. He felt like this moment would never end.
Eventually, Ciel yawned, looking down at him. “I should get to bed,” he said.
Sebastian just hummed in response and held him tighter, prompting a laugh.
“You can come with me, you know,” Ciel smiled down at him. “I’d never make you leave.”
Sebastian smiled. “Alright.” With a yawn of his own, he sat up and stretched. The more time he was in this place, the more human he seemed to become, and it was little things like this that showed it. He stood and held out a hand, helping Ciel up and leading him out of the room, to Ciel’s bedroom, as usual. CIel leaned against him slightly, holding his hand, their fingers laced together and making Sebastian lightly blush.
While they went through their usual bedtime routine, Ciel didn’t hesitate to keep giving Sebastian small amounts of affection - kisses, petting his hair, holding onto him. Eventually, when all was said and done, Sebastian climbed into bed alongside his master, cuddling up with him and smiling at the feeling of Ciel’s arms around him. He blew out the candles, and after a minute, he could feel Ciel’s breathing slowing, his body relaxing, curling up against him, and Sebastian thought he was asleep.
“I love you,” he whispered into the dark room.
“I love you too,” came Ciel’s reply.