Three days. Three days since Sebastian had been so badly wounded and Ciel had been confined to bed due to his asthma.
*****
Ciel awoke with a wide yawn as the golden glow washed over his face, his eyes flickering open to see the curtains pushed back.
"Good morning, My Lord. You slept well?"
The familiar voice brought a small smile to the Earl's lips.
"Sebastian. I see you've returned to work."
The demon chuckled and laid out his master's clothes, looking at the boy from where he stood.
"Yes. My wounds are healed and I am in good health once again, Master. I trust you are feeling better as well?"
"Yes, thank you."
Then a thought struck Ciel and he groaned, pushing himself upright and moving to the edge of the bed.
"How much work have I got to catch up on, Sebastian?"
"None, My Lord."
The boy's reluctant expression quickly changed to a puzzled one.
"What do you mean, none? I haven't done any paperwork for three days and I must have something to catch up with, surely."
"No, Master. I took care of all of your paperwork early this morning, and the lessons you missed were hardly imperative. There were no important meetings cancelled, so for now at least your day is free."
Ciel's face brightened up at the sound of a day to himself, and he smiled softly as the butler began to dress him.
"In that case, thank you Sebastian. I'll have to try and find something to do."
As the demon buttoned up his master's shirt, he couldn't help but stare up into those beautiful eyes of his. He was so distracted, in fact, that when he returned to the task at hand Sebastian realised he had accidentally placed a few of the buttons through the wrong holes, so the shirt was askew with uneven gaps. Ciel had already noticed but decided not to say anything just for his own amusement. A light blush crept across Sebastian's face, a first for him.
"Oh my... I'm terribly sorry, Master. I seem to have accidentally buttoned up your shirt wrong."
His words and the way in which he said them with an apologetic and embarrassed tone amused the Earl to no end. It began as a smirk, then a quiet chuckle, but soon enough the boy was leant back on the bed, his shoulders shaking with full blown laughter as he sat there in nothing but his shorts and a terribly messy shirt.
"M-My Lord?"
Sebastian's blush deepened a little, but soon enough a warm smile split his face. He had never heard his master laugh before... At least not like this. A genuinely happy laugh that stemmed from a warm feeling neither of them could trace, a laugh that sounded like cerulean flowers being brushed by a midsummer's breeze as the birds sang in the sky. It was a truly beautiful sound and the raven haired male felt as if he could listen to it for all eternity.
Eventually Ciel was able to regain some control, his laughter subsiding into occasional fits of chuckles as Sebastian continued to dress him.
"Sebastian... You know, you do look quite cute when you blush like that. I've never seen that expression on your face before."
The Earl said with yet another chuckle, looking down at his butler.
"And I have never heard you laugh that way, My Lord... What is it, may I ask, that has you in such high spirits this morning?"
Ciel smirked and chuckled again, leaning down until their faces were only a hair's breadth apart.
"You."
Without a second thought the boy kissed his butler deeply, wrapping his arms around the demon's neck. Sebastian was surprised but pleased, so he placed his hands gently on Ciel's sides and kissed him back.
The raven haired male longed for time itself to freeze, so he could enjoy this moment for the rest of time. His teeth grazed lightly across the Earl's bottom lip before his tongue slipped into the boy's mouth. They played around with one another for a while, not even bothering to fight for dominance this time. The pair were simply enjoying each other's affections.
Eventually Ciel had to pull away for air, though as he did the look on Sebastian's face made him stop and stare. It was a look of utter bliss... The demon looked like he could fall asleep there and then. His facial features were soft and relaxed, while his posture betrayed none of his usual seriousness. With one last kiss Ciel sat upright and gently brushed his butler's cheek with the backs of his fingers. Sebastian pressed the boy's hand to his face for a moment or two, opening his eyes with a smile.
"We had best sort out this shirt. I can hardly allow you to walk around the manor in such an unseemly state."
Murmured the demon, unbuttoning and buttoning his master's shirt so it was straight.
*****
Once Ciel was properly dressed Sebastian stood, making a subconscious note of the fact that the morning tea he had prepared was left untouched and had now gone cold. Although in truth he didn't mind much, as the greeting he had received was far better than watching the Earl drink his tea.
"Sebastian, what's for breakfast?"
"This morning we have poached salmon with a fresh garnish from the estate's herbs, My Lord."
"That sounds nice."
Ciel pushed himself up off of the bed and stood, smiling at the demon before he left the room. As Sebastian sorted out the dirty laundry he smiled softly to himself, happy to see that his master was in the best mood he had ever seen him in, despite recent events.
"Good morning, Mey-Rin."
Ciel smiled at the maid as he walked down the stairs, and she turned around in shock from where she had once again been covering the bannisters in shoe polish. She had to adjust her spectacles to check it was actually her young master walking past and not an imposter.
"G-Good morning, young Master."
She said, surprised at his good mood. Ciel strode into the dining room with a spring in his step no one had seen since he was a child.
He sat down to breakfast, and smiled all the way through his meal. He kept smiling after that, and all morning long. As he stepped outside for a breath of fresh air he spotted Sebastian polishing through the window, and he waved to catch his butler's attention. The demon opened the window to speak with him.
"What is it you need, My Lord?"
"I don't need anything. Take a break, Sebastian; that's an order. There is a cat out here that you need to attend to."
He said with a smile, walking off into the garden without another word. Sebastian blinked in surprise but bowed his head.
What on earth has gotten into him? I have never seen Ciel happy, at least not like this. Though I won't begrudge him for his good mood.
He walked to the front door and out onto the front steps. Without hesitation gloved hands wrapped themselves around a beautiful black tabby wandering across the stone, and he sat down for a little time to himself with a soft smile, admiring the feline's beauty.
*****
The rest of the day passed in a similar manner, the servants all in shock at the sudden change in their master's attitude. Though they were surprised, it lifted everyone's spirits to see Ciel so happy for the first time, but even the Earl himself couldn't pinpoint the reason for his joyous mood.
By the time the evening arrived, the manor was gleaming like new and everyone was in a good mood. Ciel laid in bed with half lidded eyes and a gentle smile, having exhausted himself through reading before he retired. Sebastian closed the wardrobe door with a soft smile.
"Pleasant dreams, Ciel."
He said, and kissed the boy goodnight before he left and plunged Ciel's bedchamber into darkness.
//A/N://
I thought I'd give you all some happy feels before I carried this story on. It was terribly OOC, but even so I think it was necessary. And just as a warning, at some point in the near future there will be heavy spoilers for season one of the anime, just in case any of you haven't seen it all the way through. :3