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Midnight
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Everything was hot and uncomfortable. Ciel turned on his side only to roll over and stare up at the canopy of his large king sized bed for the umpteenth time that night. He kicked off his blanket because his body was feeling far too warm to his liking and he tugged at the collar of his night shirt that was no where near constricting. The quiet ticking of the clock on the bedside table told Ciel that he had been tossing and turning for over two hours since Sebastian had put him to bed and turned out the lights.
It was now close to one and the Manor had become deathly quiet, not even the sounds of water running or cabinet doors opening and closing could be heard. Everyone was truly asleep, except for Sebastian, maybe.
Irritated at his body’s lack of cooperation to sleep, Ciel decided to tire himself out. Swinging his slender legs out of bed, he felt around for his robe and quietly opened his door. The carpet muffled his footsteps nicely as he made his way down the corridor, one hand dragging along the wall.
Ciel found himself standing in the doorway to the kitchen, surprisingly enough Sebastian was nowhere in sight. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw something that made saliva gather in his mouth. Swallowing unconsciously, he picked his way over to the kitchen counter where a decadently, decorated chocolate cake sat under the protection of a glass top. Ciel took in the grooves in the icing and the little decorative sugar roses with his eyes greedily. Puffy little white peaks of cream were dotted all over the top of the cake’s surface and dusted with curls of dark chocolate shavings. He was willing to bet that there were strawberries embedded in the middle of the cake.
Unfortunately, the counter was a little bit high and on top of that, the cake rested on a little tier. The glass casing was impossible to reach from where he was standing now. Ciel growled, no doubt this was Sebastian’s way of Ciel-proofing desserts so that they weren’t eaten before their time. Ever since he’d gotten into Sebastian’s chocolate masterpiece, the butler had taken to hiding various cakes and desserts around the kitchen well out of the Young Master’s reach.
Ciel smirked, twisting his ring around his finger. He could feel himself building up an appetite, and not just for food either. If Sebastian wanted to challenge the little Phantomhive, Ciel would gladly rise to the occasion.
The glass dome fit perfectly over the cake that if Ciel tried to lift the top off quickly, chocolate would smear the glass. He didn’t doubt that it was heavy glass as well, so he would have to be even more careful lifting it up. A stool would have been useful for the extra boost in height, however since everyone in the Manor could reach the counter quite easily, there really was no use for one.
He rubbed his chin in contemplation as he racked his brain for a solution. His eyes landed on the drawers. Ah. He pulled one out, intending to use it as leverage. Ciel lifted and placed his foot on the lip of the drawer, hands braced against the counter. When the drawer rattled from his weight, he suddenly froze but when no one came to the kitchen to inspect the sound, Ciel let his heart beat return to normal.
The cake was even more gorgeous from a bird’s eye view. Ciel kneeled on the countertop and grasping the top of the glass dome, he lifted it up slowly taking great pains not to scrape the sides. The glass dome finally came off without a blemish, however the painstaking effort had quickly drained Ciel’s muscles and the sudden relief of actually completing his goal prompted the heavy glass to slip past his fingers.
Ciel cringed and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the impact of shattered glass against the stone floor to sound, but none came.
“My my, someone is a little bit impatient. Couldn’t you at least wait till tomorrow afternoon?” A silky voice sounded right beside his ear and Ciel jumped, nearly knocking the cake off it’s tier.
“Sebastian!”
“If you wanted a midnight snack, you could have just said, instead of trying to break dishes.” Sebastian replaced the dome back over the cake smoothly without even looking. Ciel scowled and crossed his arms over his chest childishly.
He let Sebastian straighten his collar out and smooth down his hair.
“May I ask why you are awake at such a late hour, Young Master?”
“I couldn’t sleep because it’s too hot in the room. What are you doing here anyhow?” Ciel grumbled.
“Checking to make sure the cake wasn’t in any danger.” Sebastian said drily and dodged the punch aimed at his arm. “I was merely coming in to prepare breakfast for tomorrow morning.”
At the mention of food, Ciel’s stomach grumbled.
“Make me something sweet, Sebastian.” He demanded.
“You will get a stomachache if you eat late at night, might I recommend a hot drink instead?”
Ciel frowned, eyes darting toward the luscious chocolate cake that was sitting next to him.
“You are such an insatiable child.” Sebastian murmured, shaking his head slightly.
“I am not a child!” The young Phantomhive called out indignantly to his butler who was busy pouring milk and melting chocolate into a pan on the stove.
The sounds of milk and chocolate bubbling and lapping against the pot was soothing. Ciel closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the sweet aroma that had begun to fill the room nicely. The smell of hot chocolate always reminded him of something warm and homely, something from a time so long ago it almost felt foreign.
Sebastian poured the hot chocolate into a large mug and turned to face Ciel… who had fallen asleep, slumped against a pile of potatoes that were lying on the kitchen counter, in anticipation of tomorrow night’s dinner.
“Young Master, you’re more of a child than you think.” Sebastian murmured into Ciel’s hair as he lifted the boy into his arms and carried him back to his room, the hot chocolate forgotten on the kitchen counter.