My first Kuroshitsuji piece, so please be gentle.
I’m not yet sure whether or not there will be another chapter to go with this. If so, it may be a while before it’s posted due to University work. However, reviews are still appreciated. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

Ciel Phantomhive was not a person who liked to be taken by surprise. In any given situation, he much preferred to be the one doing the surprising.

As such, he always tried to make himself wake up before he was woken up by his self-proclaimed one hell of a butler, because just as he disliked surprises, he disliked being jolted out of sleep. It tended to make him even more brisk and dismissive than usual – and even someone like Ciel knew that one could not indulge in such a manner too often without appearing to be sullen and childish. Given that Ciel had willingly given up his childhood in exchange for certain… other benefits, he did not feel it appropriate to display childishness. But because, deep down, there remained a stubborn spark of a child, Ciel would nearly always remain in bed after he had awoken, either lightly dozing or affecting sleep entirely, thereby forcing Sebastian to rouse him himself. It became routine; a swift pull of the bedroom curtains, the opening of a window to let in the rays of sunlight, a polite “Young Master?” It pleased Ciel that he was ready for it each time; that even Sebastian could not take him by surprise in the mornings. And even completely aside from the principle itself, Ciel was quite certain that the more surprised he was, the happier his butler felt.

So when Ciel would not – or could not – wake himself in time one morning, he felt distinctly out of harmony with the world, along with all who inhabited it. This ‘all’ included his butler first and foremost, who had to repeat himself thrice before Ciel even registered that he was being spoken to.

“Young Master, are you quite well?”

Ciel mumbled something that someone of his station probably should not have, and grudgingly opened his eyes. He closed them again just as quickly; the sunlight assaulted his senses and made either the room, or his head, spin sickeningly. There was a silky flick of material, and then Sebastian held one gloveless hand to Ciel’s forehead.

“Well. It appears the young master will have to postpone his schedule for today.”

Ciel spoke with his eyes still closed, but without hesitation. “No. There’s too much to be done. I only want a moment.”

Sebastian’s one bared hand held him down, and Ciel cursed his butler’s inhuman strength; that lightly placed hand managed to pin Ciel to the bed with ease as he attempted to rise. “I’m afraid I cannot allow the young master to leave his bed today, lest he worsen his condition.”

That smug, velvet voice. No doubt Sebastian was enjoying this immensely. Ciel opened his eyes again and glared. “Do you, a servant, dare to order me?”

A shocked look appeared on Sebastian’s face, and Ciel just knew that beneath it, his butler was smirking. “Order? Never, young master. But I may strongly suggest. And you, of course, may choose whether to disregard those suggestions. Or not – as you see fit.”

Ciel sat up in one quick, jerking motion, before he could change his mind. But he could not prevent the sharp intake of breath that accompanied it, nor the shivering that followed as the cocoon of blankets fell away from his body. He growled to himself, and flung out an imperious hand. “Just… just shut the curtains then, and leave me be.”

Sebastian hummed softly to himself as he tuned to follow his orders; Ciel was sure it was only to irritate him more. He lay gingerly back down as the curtains were closed, unblinkingly watching Sebastian’s movements until he stood beside the bed once more.

“Would the young master care for a light breakfast? Perhaps just some tea and a savoury roll?”

The mere thought of food made Ciel’s stomach rebel unpleasantly. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head.

“Ah. But the young master should perhaps keep in mind that it is best, in these circumstances, to remain hydrated. I will send for only the tea immediately.” He left before Ciel had time to refuse, and returned scant moments later, watching as Ciel – who was too proud by far to now appear weak by not drinking it – forced the hot liquid down his throat. Delicious, as usual, if not exactly sought after. He didn’t give the demon the pleasure of meeting his gaze as he thrust the still-warm cup back to Sebastian.

“Go. I want to rest.”

“Of course.” Sebastian retreated, still smiling infuriatingly as he left Ciel to seethe in silence. Unbeknownst to Ciel, however, he remained outside the room, listening until he could catch the faint sounds of his master falling into a fitful doze. He sighed then, shaking his head. Humans were such curious, stubborn creatures, and his master one of the most stubborn of all. It was what made his job so interesting.

But for now, he could at least ensure that those three bumbling excuses for servants carried out all their work downstairs for the day.

*

Ciel felt like a thief in his own house as he crept towards the study. His study, he reminded himself, and glared defensively in case Sebastian should happen to spot him along the hallway. He wouldn’t, of course; he was currently downstairs saying something exasperatingly to Bard in the kitchen; Ciel could hear his voice from there, if not the actual words . Not, of course, that Ciel had been keeping an ear out to make sure of that. No, he need not explain himself to anyone, least of all a servant.

He crept nonetheless. But he reached the study without incident, forcing his abruptly trembling body to cooperate. Mind over matter – his body would do as he ordered it; much like any person under him must follow any orders that he deemed fitting to give.

The paperwork that he had abandoned last night was placed in ordered piles upon the great wooden desk, waiting to be completed. Ciel’s handwriting was just as ordered; it curled small and spider-neatly along the pages in the form of signatures, letters of correspondence, and personal notes. Everything had its own proper place here, and it usually made Ciel himself feel more ordered and uncluttered to look at it.

Today, the tiny writing made Ciel squint and feel flustered and uncomfortable. He picked up the nearest piece of paper and held it close so that he could read it properly, and the paper shook feebly in his hand. He glared at the paper, and then at the offending hand, as if by willpower alone he might still the shaking. When it did not cease, he laid the paper back onto the desk and bent his head close instead, feeling that a stiff neck was better than the alternative.

For some time he worked, ponderously marking sheets of paper with dark, fresh ink. His hand, warming to the task, did not slip from the page as often as he feared it might, although progress still seemed not only slow but hard-won. It was a struggle that Ciel was determined to win, and every so often he paused, forced to stop and push slightly dampened hair away from his uncovered eye. And whilst he refused to concede to this faceless enemy by slowing his pace, the pauses between reading and writing came far less between each other, so that it soon seemed as if he were stopping in his work every few minutes simply to rest. As if writing were some kind of difficult task, he thought distastefully.

So absorbed was he in battling his own sense of weariness that he failed to notice anything after a time beyond what appeared directly in front of him. All other noises – the muffled ticking of a clock, the faint sounds of his own ragged breath, the light footsteps on the stairs, the slow creaking of a door-

“Young Master?”

Ciel looked up, schooling his expression into one of intense boredom. “What is it?” he drawled. “I’m busy.” And he held up the stack of papers he was currently attacking in his left hand as a testament to his statement, daring his butler to say anything. He ignored the fact that they fluttered ever-so-slightly in his grip.

Sebastian did dare. Ciel blinked, and although the demon had been standing on the threshold of the study only an instant earlier, he was suddenly looming right in front of Ciel. The boy was forced to crane his neck upward to meet Sebastian’s gaze. He did not have the chance to speak again before Sebastian had grasped the stack of paper with one of his own white-clad hands. For a moment, it looked as if the two were engaging in a silent game of tug-of-war. Ciel refused to let go, but it was evident from the beginning that Sebastian was the stronger of the two. He stared fixedly at his master over the desk, unsmiling. Neither of them, however, could pull any harder lest the paper be torn through the middle.

The contest did not last long. Ciel, knowing that his actions must look far from dignified, let go with a hiss of annoyance. He looked away then, toward the wall with an air of frozen impatience.

Sebastian’s expression changed from one almost of displeasure to amusement in another blink of the eye. “I did not realise that the young master felt so playful today”, he remarked, pointedly ignoring Ciel’s sniff of disdain. “But may I suggest that he at least engage in such pastimes in the warmth of his bed?”

“I’m not cold”, Ciel said unthinkingly, and immediately realised that this was true. He had been cold, but at some point in the last few minutes, his study seemed to have warmed considerably. If anything, it seemed almost a little too warm. He shifted in his chair, a little uncomfortable now that he had noticed.

For the second time that day, Ciel found himself with Sebastian’s hand pressed to his forehead. He would have jerked away at the cold sensation had Sebastian not held him still with his other arm. Sebastian closed his eyes briefly, as if assessing something. When he opened them again, they had changed from their usual coppery-brown and had taken on a deeper, redder tinge.

“The average human body temperature is thirty-six point eight degrees”, he stated in a monotone. “Your average body temperature is thirty-six point three degrees. However, your current body temperature is at thirty-nine point eight degrees. As your butler, I cannot allow your condition to worsen.”

“I”, said Ciel, standing up and preparing to vocalise his displeasure at being spoken to in that particular tone of voice.

Sebastian didn’t wait to listen, or to watch Ciel use his hands to prop himself up on the desk as he stood and glared as fiercely as he was able. He picked his master up with never a by-your-leave, and began carrying him out of the room without speaking another word. Ciel, stunned at the audacity of this latest development, was unable to do more than splutter out a few words of indignation. They were ineffectual; Sebastian carried him as though the boy weighed nothing at all, and held him quite firmly against any squirming.

“What- I don’t- put me down this instant!”

“Is that an order, young master?” Sebastian’s voice was every bit as self-satisfied as usual, if not more so. He did put him down, however – although, given that they had by this time arrived back in Ciel’s bedroom anyway, it did not placate Ciel in the slightest as he was deposited on the bed. After this, Sebastian back away a step and simply looked at him, as if to say, Well, young master?

“Well what?” Ciel snapped, before realising that Sebastian had not spoken.

Sebastian merely looked mildly concerned. “My. I do hope the young master is not beginning to hear things.”

Ciel was too angry to speak further, choking on his own fury. By the time he had gotten himself back under control, Sebastian was holding a steaming cup of something in his hands. Ciel supposed that the cup had been placed there just before Sebastian had found him in the study. Sebastian did not give him time to suppose anything more. He only said, quite politely, “Please drink this; it will help with the fever”, and held the cup directly to Ciel’s lips. Ciel opened his mouth to finally order his butler under no uncertain terms to leave, and received a mouthful of the warm liquid for his trouble.

He instinctively swallowed, and Sebastian tilted the cup upwards so that the liquid kept coming. If Ciel could have spoken, he would have asked sarcastically why Sebastian didn’t simply hold his nose and force the liquid down his throat that way instead. As it was, he was kept fully preoccupied with simply trying to breathe as Sebastian tilted the cup further and further towards him with one hand, and holding Ciel in place with the other.

The cup was only taken away when it had been emptied entirely.

“You-!”

“Now young master, you mustn’t go to sleep with that robe on.”

“I’m not going to sleep, and you have no right-“

Sebastian simply slipped the robe off Ciel, one sleeve at a time. Ciel had not bothered to attempt to change out of his nightclothes earlier, and Sebastian allowed Ciel to stand up as he moved across the room, perhaps to fetch something else.

If Ciel’s anger was typically all ice and remorseless contempt, it was a raging fire now. He wanted to strike Sebastian, and would have done so had he thought it would bring him any kind of satisfaction. But he knew that if he did, his butler would only stand still and allow himself to be struck, and that his expression would remain unchanging. No, subservience would not be won like that. But to be patronised this way- it seemed at that moment to be unforgivable, and Ciel lost his temper.

“You are the servant, Sebastian, and I will not be treated like a child, least of all from you!” He put every ounce of his flagging strength behind the voice, and it was loud enough that it seemed to reverberate around the very room.

There was an instant, ringing silence. Sebastian stopped what he was doing and stood still for a long moment, before turning around to face his master. “I am well aware”, he replied, completely unruffled by the outburst. “And what kind of butler would I be if I could not even take care of my master while he is indisposed?” He reached past Ciel, taking the opportunity to pull back the covers on the bed properly while Ciel was still standing. He did not need to ease Ciel back down. To his surprise, Ciel found his legs folding from under him of their own accord. His eyesight began to blur at exactly the same moment that he comprehended what his butler had done.

“You-“, he managed to say, before the rest of his body collapsed.

Sebastian put an arm between his master and the wall as Ciel fell backwards, and watched him struggling to stay awake. It amused him that even in such a state, his master still resisted the inevitable with all the willpower he possessed.

“Yet even you cannot constantly wage battle against every single thing and still hope to remain unscathed”, he murmured, his face now showing more a vague curiosity than anything else.

Whether Ciel understood this or even fully heard it was uncertain. His eyes finally closed as Sebastian pulled the bedding to cover Ciel’s body once again.

His master was breathing deeply by the time Sebastian turned to leave.

“Until all the pieces come crumbling down”, he finished, almost solemnly, and closed the door behind him as he went.