Chapter Text
It was different when they were alone.
Of course it was; they were more than butler and lord, after all. Without prying eyes, there was no need for senseless formality. There was only a demon and a child, who was presently rolling around on the bed.
“I don’t want to do it,” He’s saying, kicking his little feet like a brat. Sebastian stands at the foot of the bed, massaging his temples. They’ve had this conversation at least three times by his count.
“My lord,” He begins, sighing.
“I don’t see why my presence is required. I’ve already signed all the forms and given all the information they need. They can just have the meeting without me .”
“You are the company’s owner, my lord,” Sebastian reminds him, “Even if you don’t act it half the time.”
Ciel pauses and props himself up on his elbows to glare at the man. “What was that?”
“Nothing, my young master.”
Nose wrinkling, Ciel huffs. “I won’t stand for any backtalk tonight, Sebastian.”
The demon can’t help but snort.
“I mean it! I’m already in a foul mood.”
“Don’t I know it, my lord.” Sebastian rounds the bed until he’s standing beside the mattress, peering down at the boy. He’s dressed for bed already, though his nightshirt has become rumpled from all the rolling around. It’s rucked up around his thighs, and Sebastian can’t resist reaching down to pinch the plush skin.
“Ow!”
“Get under the covers, my lord.”
Ciel makes an irritable noise but sits up properly, kneeling on the bed. “No. You do it.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows knit. “Are you five? Do you need me to do even this, my lord?”
“I don’t need it, but I commanded you to do something, so-”
The butler cuts him off with a wave of his hand. “Very well, my lord.” The words have hardly left his mouth before Ciel finds himself being ushered up the mattress.
But not by gloved hands; no, Ciel finds himself being gently pushed towards the pillows by thin, wavering, tendrils of shadow. They’re cool to the touch, though not frightfully so, and they press gently to his body, herding him like a misbehaving lamb.
He’s familiar with them, of course. Like all parts of Sebastian, he’s come to know and even enjoy them in their time together. It’s comforting, knowing that Sebastian is always near, of only a piece of him lurking in the corners of every room.
Ciel can’t see where the shadows are coming from this time-- they could be from anywhere; the darkness beneath the bed; the fall of a curtain; the depths of the closet. They all converge around him, though, pressing at his skin insistently, intent to get him under the covers. One even curls around the top of the duvet, turning the edge down.
Sebastian stands beside the bed, one gloved hand poised over his mouth to hold back a laugh.
“That’s cheating!” Ciel cries, batting at the shadows. One curls around his wrist, tugging him up the length of the duvet insistently. It’s almost playful, the rounded tip rubbing up over his knuckles.
Another slides towards his torso, and for a moment, Ciel thinks it’s going to push him. He’s gearing up to snap at Sebastian, though before he can do so, a giggle falls unbidden from his lips.
“S- Stop!” He tries, but the word is swallowed by another laugh, bubbling up from his throat as the tendril moves along his side. “This is-” Another fit of giggles, and Ciel smacks uselessly at the shadows, trying to fight them off. “This is outrageous! I am an earl-” He tries, failing to smother another laugh.
“I thought children liked being tickled,” Sebastian says. He’s not trying to hide his amusement, instead laughing outright when Ciel begins to squirm in earnest.
“I am not a child!”
“Only children resist bedtime, my lord.” The demon leans forward, patting the pillow as if trying to coax the earl to it. “Now lay down, sweet boy. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, afterall.”
“I don’t want to go!” Ciel cries again, kicking his feet against the mattress.
Sebastian sighs. “We don’t have time for a tantrum at this hour, my lord.”
The shadows seem to double down at that, wriggling along both his sides now. Ciel’s chest heaves with laughter, his ribs starting to ache. Another tendril finds the sensitive sole of one foot, and he tenses, leg trying to pull up to his chest before getting caught by another tendril. The torture continues, the shadows moving over the soles of his feet, behind his knees, along his sides, the crook of his neck. Sebastian knows all of his sensitive spots; it’s a well-honed attack, even Ciel can admit.
“Okay!” He concedes through his giggles, “Okay! I give up!”
Sebastian chuckles, and the shadows subside enough to let Ciel catch his breath, though they linger along his skin, petting over his hips, his hair. He looks up at the demon and pouts.
“That won’t work on me tonight, my lord.”
Huffing again, Ciel kicks the bed one final time before reluctantly climbing up to take his place on the pillows. “I want sweets for breakfast tomorrow.”
“I don’t think so,” Sebastian says, pulling the blankets back further so Ciel can slide beneath them. The remainder of the shadows flutter around Ciel’s head, smoothing back his hair, fixing his collar. Like the demon himself, they’re doting and fussy, ensuring everything is exactly as it should be. Ciel waves them off and settles into the bed.
Slowly, they retreat. Sebastian finishes tucking the blankets in across his chest, then leans down to press a kiss to his forehead. “Maybe pancakes will do, though,” He murmurs.
CIel hums softly, watching the last of the shadows recede into nothing, slithering off the mattress and under the bed. “With syrup,” He bargains.
“We’ll see.” Sebastian moves to press a kiss to his lips, chaste as anything. He cups the boy’s face, thumb rubbing over his delicate cheekbone. Another kiss, before he straightens up and steps away from the bed, dousing the last candle. “Sleep well, my lord.”
“Stay-”
“Of course.” Sebastian smiles at him, taking a seat at the end of the bed. “I’ll be here.”
Ciel nods once, then lets himself close his eyes.