Chapter Text
It’s a butler's duty to serve their master, to be by their side through every waking moment, to guide them to be righteous members of society. A butler's day starts early and ends late, some even say it never ends, that they must always be alert and ready for their master’s every call. This is the butler's aesthetic, and Sebastian upheld it with utmost dignity.
The road to becoming a butler was unforeseen, but the demon didn’t particularly mind, knowing the end result would be most appealing. Some entertainment along the way was much appreciated, finding the ordeal thoroughly pleasing, much better than terrorising simple people with souls worth less than their salt.
Sebastian had been the phantomhive butler for three years now, and his master was of all of 5 feet and 2 inches - a little lord for sure. It had been hard to get to grips with managing the infantile mortal, and he was still as unpredictable as ever - but Sebastian was finding more ease to the role every day.
It was the 23rd of December, and the demon clad in black had been listening to the young earl claim his hatred towards the upcoming celebrations, especially as his fiancé had been wittering on about the holy celebrations, and Sebastian was on the other end of the tether once she had left. The clock had just struck 7PM, the exact time his young lord was due his afternoon tea and last dish of the day, that being his dessert. Of course, the punctual servant knocked thrice on the younger’s study, awaiting his allowance for entry.
The young earl in question never would’ve survived if it hadn’t been for said butler knocking. Every moment was horrific in that cage those cultists had kept him in...they tore him apart, piece by piece, stripping him of his dignity, branding him with their seal for eternity.
The young earl, only 9 days shy of age 13, had already had his fair share of torture. Now, however, the world expected to torture him even further with the prospect of the Christmas season.
Nothing made Ciel sicker than the idea of Christmas. Just the thought of it making his skin crawl. Too many happy and cheerful faces. Too many carolers, blaring and broadcasting their manufactured joy for all to hear.
Ciel found it foolish. It wasn’t like there was a real reason to celebrate, as the basis for the holiday was a fake one. There was no Christ, no god, Ciel knew that. In his time of need, the only thing that saved him was an inhabitant of the hellish underworld. He was snapped out of his thoughts by three raps against his study door. Only Sebastian knocked like that. He quickly got his papers together so he could pretend like he was working and not totally lost in thought before calling out.
“You may enter, Sebastian.” Sebastian heard the flickering and fleeting actions of the young boy, the smallest of smirks creeping to his lips as he knew very well the child often didn’t concentrate - and a part of Sebastian understood since he was taking on an adult job. No matter how much Ciel protested, declaring he was mature enough to be an earl, it was clear to everybody that the role was a tiresome one for a child. The elder made sure to clear his face of a smirk before approaching the door properly. Sebastian opened the door to the study before drawing in the small cart he had with him, the usual afternoon teapot steeping the young master's afternoon tea. This time, Sebastian made sure to choose out a camomile selection, knowing the younger was stressed over the thought of Christmas.
“Your afternoon tea, my lord.” he states as he comes to a stop beside the desk, which it’s contents had barely moved. He poured the light substance into a teacup, before lightly placing it down along with its saucer gently onto the desk away from the paperwork but within grasp.
“For dessert, we have French fancies accompanied with whipped cream,” he says, placing the matching plate beside the tea. Sebastian looked between the blue-haired boy and his paperwork briefly “I see you’ve not managed to get much work done, my lord,” he states and looks down at him from where he stood beside the desk, “is something on your mind?”
Ciel sighed, resting his head on his hand as the tea and food was placed in front of him. “It’s all of this holiday nonsense.” He said, stirring his tea idly before bringing it up to his mouth to take a small sip. “All of it is so foolish and childlike.” He muttered, shaking his head.
He used to love Christmas as a little boy. He would sprint down the stairs, open his presents, smiling happily as he received each and every one.
Now, however, that was not the case. His parents were dead and unable to celebrate with him. Lizzie’s cheerful declarations of the holiday season being among them only proved to give him a massive headache every time he attempted to listen to her.
“I will not tolerate any of this nonsense in my manner this year, Sebastian. I don’t want any of the foolish gifts you always try to please me with. They’re ridiculous.” He huffed, taking a bite of the sugary treat laid before him.
“Do I make myself clear, Sebastian? And make sure those servants know the same. You’re welcome to celebrate alone if you keep it in your own quarters and don’t bring me into any of it.” Sebastian listened, allowing the other to rant and speak his mind without intercepting, however Sebastian had found many faults with Ciel's words, finding them both tedious but also interesting.
“Perfectly clear, I shall make the others clear.” he says, before letting out a small chuckle, his deep voice resonating in the study lightly, “although, whatever do you think I would have to celebrate?” he asks, giving Ciel some food for thought.
Sebastian paced towards the front of the desk instead of looming beside the earl.
“The lord and I aren’t exactly on mutual terms, as you can imagine,” he says with a small smirk in the corner of his lip, tugging upwards, his eyes narrowing for a second, seeing how his prey could easily mistake the man for not being the devil sometimes.
“Childish indeed,” he mumbled under his breath as he looked at the boy, noticing how keen he was to have his sweet dessert, all while declaring he hated the christmas spirit. Ciel allowed himself to let out a soft snicker, a small smirk appearing on his thin lips as he took another sip of his tea. “I don’t suppose I’d be in the lord’s good graces either then.” He said, moving to devour more of his sweets. Even for someone who claimed to be an adult, he always fell prey to desserts.
“Though, Sebastian, you do seem like the type to enjoy a Christmas celebration.” Ciel knew his butler all too well by this point. He craved the irony of the holiday.
Ciel’s mind drifted back to the Christmas stories he used to have to read as a child, when he used to practice religion with his family. It was strange to think about those days, when he prayed to some far away god who wasn’t even there to protect him in his darkest moments.
“Even if there was a lord, I hardly believe he’d be someone to celebrate.” Ciel said darkly, taking a long sip of his tea, allowing it to burn his tongue and throat. The slight stinging helped him push down what he was feeling. A deep seeded hatred for the roots of Christmas Day, all drawing back to those awful moments in that cage. Sebastian held his steed as a butler, rarely breaking the facade. As long as he was under Ciel’s influence, he would appear to hold the role he was given. Meaning, the way he spoke and worded things had to be timed perfectly.
“I couldn’t tell you,” he says, a hand travelling to arrange his own hair which was raven black, hanging among his red, auburn eyes.
“You’re far too gone, any attempts to pray to a lord... Well-“ He snickered, permitting himself this time, enjoying kicking Ciel down, he liked to remind him of his fate. He liked to break the butler facade occasionally, reminding his earl that he was his no matter the outcome “-any attempt to revert would be short lived.” He warns him, semi darkly. He returned to the previous point, trying not to get too distracted as he looked down at his meal.
“I wouldn't say I enjoy the celebration, but I find great pleasure in spiting the greater forces in this world.”
“I have no plans to pray to a lord who doesn’t listen.” Ciel spoke in a sharp tone of voice. “All that I care about now is my revenge. Nothing else matters to me. I don’t care what happens to my soul, as long as I get the revenge that I need. Isn’t that what makes me so appealing to your kind?” Ciel knew that his soul was a delicious one, and he took pride in that fact. He could practically smell how hungry Sebastian was to devour him, and it made him smirk. “I’m sure I’m the only Christmas present you truly would want, though I can’t say it’s time for you to have it yet.” He smirked even more. “I guess you’ll just have to wait until next year.” His soul was the one thing he could always hold above his butler, and he loved to be a brat about it. He finished up his tea and cake, a soft yawn falling from his lips. “I shall retire to my room now.” He stood, putting his papers in a neat pile before leading the way down to his bedroom, expecting Sebastian to follow as he always did.
Sebastian felt his inner self practically claw at the thought of how perfectly delectable Ciel will turn out to be, especially once he had carried out his revenge in full. Sebastian never wavered or paused to reconsider the fate of this young boy, being steadily set in preparing and leading him, straight into the jaws of an unforgivable beast.
“Indeed... I shall have to commend you on that one,” he says as he decides to clear the study once the other is asleep. It was surely early for the earl to retire to his room, but he supposed the stress of the Christmas spirit was simply too much for him, and that thought brought satisfaction to Sebastian. The idea that Ciel was so helpless, such a needy child. A child who had the weight of the world on his shoulders, he had given up on the world and on hope. He was tormented and it was the sort of torment and soulful struggle that brought glee to the demon. Sebastian followed the younger down the hallways, following in his steed. Sebastian knew Ciel by this point, knowing he liked to use his soul to boast and flaunt, and although it did bring out sebastian hunger more than it ought to, he did his very best to restrain himself, to seem as though he couldn’t be swayed, not unless the boy needed to be put back in his place - and then he wouldn’t hesitate to use fear.
As the two entered Ciel's private chambers, approaching his bedroom, Sebastian walked a few paces in front of the other, opening the door as always.
“Today has been eventful, but we should attempt a good night's sleep in order to get through everything tomorrow.” Sebastian says as he closes the door again, walking to the set of drawers to take out a nightgown for ciel to wear to bed, placing it onto the bed itself, preparing to undress Ciel himself as usual. It wouldn’t be unusual for Ciel to be restless at this time, knowing he usually had horrific nightmares days before certain events, such as Christmas, birthdays and stressful times. Ciel nodded a bit as he watched Sebastian dress him. He didn’t want to go to sleep tonight, but he knew it was necessary for his health.
December was always the hardest month of the year for Ciel, and Sebastian knew that very well. With his birthday and Christmas only a mere 11 days apart, the month was plagued with horrific nightmares, and even some daytime flashbacks if he was triggered by something in particular.
The thought of closing his eyes and falling prey to whatever lay behind them was almost too much to bear, but Ciel wasn’t going to let it get to him. He allowed himself to be lifted into the bed. He laid back against his pillow.
Tomorrow would be a long day. Christmas Eve was always a torturous one. He would have a Christmas party he would have to make at least a short appearance at tomorrow night to keep up good relations with business partners. He was dreading it, of course, because every year, the wives would dote over the adorable young Earl. They would ask him about his Christmas wishes and what toys he wanted. Ciel would have to politely respond when he wanted to order Sebastian to kill them.
“Stay with me until I fall asleep, and when I do, don’t go too far away.” Ciel said, still ever so stoic and powerful, even as he was drifting off to sleep. He needed Sebastian to stay close to him, or else the things in his dream may become real and capture him again. At least, that’s what his tired brain slowly began to believe.
Sebastian had aided Ciel to dress and deposited his worn clothing into a small basket in his bathroom, knowing he would empty it to take for Meyrin to wash and then he would press it himself.
Sebastian felt very little empathy for any living creature, but beneath his animalistic and demonic nature, he held a degree of sympathy for the child when it came to his night terrors. Often there would be nights where the child would be tailed by his worst fears, and some nights he experienced real night terrors, experiences where he couldn’t wake from the dream, his flashbacks being positively powerful and surreal.
“Of course, my lord.” Sebastian says with a sense of false warmth, staying near his bedside after closing the curtains and making sure there were no drafts, being well aware of every little detail, knowing the fear clung to Ciel's very being. Once the young mortal was sleeping, Sebastian made sure to take those clothes to the servants quarters before lecturing each one of them about keeping the festivities to a low, repeating the same instructions as every other year. Sebastian on the other hand, made sure that while he kept a close ear out for Ciel's slumber, he got to work on something he had planned.
Around an hour or two later, Ciel began to have a very intense night terror.
He was back inside of the cage...the filthy men were surrounding him, taunting him about his childlike appearance. He yelled out for someone to help him, but this time, Sebastian didn’t come. He was dragged out on the table, prepared to be sacrificed. He kicked and screamed, something he was doing in his bed too without even realizing it, trying to escape their grasp. He couldn’t wake up. He was too far gone in his memory.
Suddenly the scene changed without him waking up, and it was Christmas day in a burning building. The tree was melting before his eyes, and so were his parents. They beckoned to him, arms full of melting presents. Ciel screamed even louder, trying to run away from them. He felt the flames engulf him, and his screams only intensified.
The worst part about it was that he couldn’t wake up. No matter what was done, he had to live out these sick hellish dreams until he awoke naturally.
Sebastian heard the cries and screams start, and he placed the item he had on his person down on the table, making his way to the young boy’s room, bringing with him a lit candle to lead the way since it was now night time. Sebastian entered their bedroom, the screams being piercingly loud to anyone else, but it was of the norm to the demon. Sebastian placed the candle beside Ciel's bed, the light hopefully enticing his body to rise from its static state, alerting his brain he was indeed asleep.
“Young master-“ sebastian called gently, awaiting the appropriate time where he would gently rock the younger boy, his hands on either arm as he rubbed the soft skin, a tactic he had learnt which was not too restricting or violent.
Sebastian never woke Ciel from these terrors too early, letting them play out for as long as he deemed appropriate. Sebastian saw these dreams as a positive on his side. They kept Ciel aware of his trauma, kept the memories fresh, and the fear tangible. The fear powered his motivation for revenge, and that was exactly what Sebastian wanted. The trauma tainted his soul, made him worth devouring.
Ciel’s eyes snapped open as he felt the arms on him, and he instinctively grabbed the handgun he had hidden beneath his pillow. Upon seeing a shadowy figure above him, he somehow managed to get it out and press it against the head of the man above him.
It was evident to anyone but Ciel that he wasn’t fully out of his nightmare yet. He didn’t feel like himself at all. He felt like the fragile ten year old boy in the cage.
He shut his eyes tight, feeling the tears begin to slide down his cheeks from pure fear. “If you touch me I’ll shoot!” He snapped, voice raw and panting from screaming so much. He didn’t even understand where he was. He hadn’t had a nightmare this bad since he was ten, and it was almost as if his body was reverting back to that younger state. “Whoever you are, I swear to god, I’ll kill you!” Swearing to god...those words would make it evident that he wasn’t truly himself in that moment.
Ciel would never say such a thing, especially in the presence of someone like Sebastian. A sense of relief came to the man as he saw Ciel stir in this state, his grip loosening but Sebastian retracted his hands faster, feeling the cold end of the gun pressed flush against his forehead. Of course, Sebastian felt no fear in this situation. The candlelight aluminised his face slightly, but he expected the boy to still be haunted by his dream, not to mention the man was naturally tall and his raven hair didn’t help with keeping his face clear to see.
Sebastian’s eyes were widened however, not recalling knowledge of Ciel keeping a gun beneath his pillow. He had been the one to change his bedsheets whenever they needed changing or whenever Ciel would have an unfortunate accident, being young - but he’d never witnessed a gun between the sheets. It surprised him a little, being extremely observant.
Sebastian retreated lightly, still being near, but giving Ciel space. “Now, young lord-“ he says in his familiar tone, warm but also orderly “it’s only me, Sebastian,” he tells him, finding it interesting how the young boy chose to ‘swear to god’ with a demon in the room. Who was he truly scared of? The cultists in his dreams, or the demon who had been haunting him since, set on killing him in the long run?
“You’re safe, right now,” he says, trying not to smile at how ironic it was. The child was never safe and never would be. “You’re in bed, at the manor. You’re no longer in the cage. Look around you,” he says calmly, the candle lit beside the young man.
Warily, Ciel truly opened his eyes to see the man who oddly resembled his father standing there in front of him. His grip tightened on the gun for a minute before he heard the words form into a familiar tone of voice. His arm fell limp, dropping the armed hand to the bed. He carefully uncocked the revolver before slipping it back under his pillow.
He looked around for a moment, trying to take in all of his surroundings to the best of his ability. He didn’t want to, but he slowly became aware of all that was around him. He brought his hands up to wipe at his now drying tears, before dropping his hands back onto the bed,
“I require a bath.” Ciel stated, a weak tone of voice overtaking him, something that was rare for the small boy. In his struggle with his dreams, he seemed to have last control of his body, specifically his bladder. Such incidents still managed to embarrass him, even if it was common for this to take place in the dreaded month of December.
Sebastian kept his distance until Ciel dropped the weapon, understanding his sudden and violent fear. Sebastian turned to the door and turned on the gas lamps, taking the candle and using the flame to light them, making sure there was ample light in the bedroom, before doing the same in the bathroom, blowing the candle out, running the taps, and returning to Ciel’s side.
“Of course, my lord,” he says quietly, removing the covers for the younger to remove himself from the wet sheets. “I shall have these washed and replaced for you,” he says, removing his tailcoat and placing it on a chair in the room. He returns to Ciel and lifts him from the bed, taking him to the bathroom, seating him on the toilet while the bath runs, returning to strip the bed.
Sebastian bared it, finding this task tedious. It was moments like these where Sebastian loathed having sensitive sight and smell. He loathed having senses all together when it came to human defecation. He didn’t mutter a word or show any emotion, doing as he was to do, clearing it away. He returned to Ciel’s side in a timely manner, removing his soiled gloves “The water is at the right temperature, let’s get you in.” he says calmly, knowing the other was likely to still be shaken. Sebastian showed near to no emotion, undressing the child before taking him to the bath and lowering him gently so that he was submerged to the waist.
Ciel tried not to show his embarrassment on his face. What 13 year old still wets the bed when he has a nightmare? It was absolutely humiliating. The worst part was, he craved the affection after these afflictions, which was something he knew that he would never be able to experience. His butler was a demon, he didn’t understand human comfort. When he was really little, Tanaka used to comfort him after these moments, but now? He was placed in a bath, washed with no emotion, and placed back to bed. Even if he pretended to be heartless all the time, he certainly had emotion.
Once he was placed in the water, Ciel sat completely still, staring blankly ahead of him. He hadn’t felt this vile in a very long time. He hated to admit it, but wetting the bed always reminded him of that cage. It’s not like they let him get up and use the bathroom while he was there, so the stench always sent him back to that place.
Sebastian washed the earl with ease, but being sure to be gentle, learning in the first month or two of caring for the earl that he had a rather rough hand.
“My lord, if you may permit me to say,” he speaks, breaking the silence as he could sense the tense aura around the two, “there is no need to be embarrassed. I am not flustered by such incidents,” he tells him, scrubbing Ciel's back to lather the soap before bringing the sponge to his chest, washing him over. “I know as well as you, the night terrors can be a frightful thing. But no need to fret, I'll be here every time to retrieve you from the darkness.” He tells him. “Just like the first time,” he says, showing generosity and kindness in his words.
Sebastian’s version of kindness varied, occasionally it was sincere, acting in a kind way without realising. Sometimes he played mind tricks, coming across as kind, but really only caring about what he benefited from it. Other times, he completely faked the nice things he was saying. It was always down to Ciel to interpret his words as sincere or cynical, but Ciel didn’t know how to respond to the kind words. He honestly didn’t believe them, coming from a demon. He knew it was best not to dwell on these earthly emotions anyway. He just wanted to rise from the bath and go back to bed.
It was fairly evident at that point for Ciel that no earthly being’s care mattered anymore. It didn’t matter if no one loved him, or if he destroyed everything in the process of his revenge. All he wanted was revenge for his family, for his brother. That’s just that way that things were for him, and he wasn’t going to let emotions deter him.
After a while in the bath, Ciel lifted his arms to signal that he was done and he would like to be carried back to bed. He very much did not want to go back to sleep after that horrible night terror, but he knew that he had to sleep again at some point.
Sebastian rinsed the sponge and stood to collect a towel, placing it beside them before he lifted Ciel out of the bath under the arms and onto the mat beneath them. Sebastian took a hold of the towel and draped Ciel in it, rubbing his smaller frame to dry him off, being gentle in most places. “Do not fret,” Sebastian said suddenly as he was drying the boy’s legs, “it is not often you have a second nightmare after the first,” he informs Ciel before taking a hold of a fresh and clean nightshirt and underwear, dressing the boy. “You should sleep well, is there anything I can do to settle you, my lord?” He asks as he looks up through his raven tresses. “Some hot milk, perhaps?” he asks, knowing the boy often had such a treat whenever he couldn’t sleep or before special events as a treat Ciel allowed himself to be taken care of by his butler, not letting the delicate care phase him. He knew it wasn’t real. The only value he was to the other man was his soul. Sebastian didn’t actually care about him.
“Hot milk with honey.” Ciel said, nodding. His voice came out strong, but hoarse. The screaming had not done any good for his vocal chords. Hopefully, the honey would help with that as well.
He walked ahead of his butler, slipping under the covers of his bed again. He found himself longing for simpler times of childhood in that moment, something he rarely did. He knew he was far better off now than he was as a child, but at least back then he didn’t have to worry about night terrors, or the Queen’s constant orders.
He rubbed tiredly at his eyes, resting back against the pillows and closing his eyes as he awaited Sebastian’s return with his milk.
Sebastian nodded and swiftly left, being sure to take his tailcoat with him as he made his way to the kitchen, heating a saucer of milk on the stove, replacing his gloves with a new set as the milk heated up. Sebastian made sure to supply ample amounts of honey in a side dish. Sebastian poured the milk into a pot before taking the tray up to his master. “How peculiar,” he observed out loud as he walked up the stairs and towards Ciel’s chambers, ignoring the Christmas decorations he’d hung up as he went towards his master. “Humans are scared of such simple things...” he whispers under his breath, wondering what fear felt like. For Sebastian, his prey becoming fearful and scared was irresistible, but he did ponder on what it must feel like to be scared. Sebastian had never felt that.
“My lord,” he calls out once he gets to his door, knocking three times again before entering, bringing a tray to his room and setting it down beside his bed, pouring the milk into the cup before adding the right amount of honey. “You shouldn’t have honey before bed... It will decay your teeth-“ Sebastian scolds, like how Ciel told him Tanaka used to.
“But I shall allow you on this occasion,” he tells him and hands the saucer to him carefully.
Ciel scoffed when he heard the words from his butler’s mouth, taking the honey field tea and drinking it regardless of the warning. “You are not the one who should be giving orders here, Sebastian.” He said sternly, tilting his head up just slightly to look a bit more superior than he had before. “It’s not your place to tell me what I can and can’t do. That’s my job. I’m your master, not the other way around.” He drank the tea slowly, wanting to stall the time it took to finish it so he could have less time to sleep. He knew he needed the rest, but that was another thing he refused to let Sebastian be right about. He’d be just fine on little sleep. He’s done it many times before. Besides, tomorrow was only Christmas Eve. It would be painful to go through the parties and have to remind people that he didn’t celebrate the foolish holiday in the same way they did, but it was still much simpler than the other missions they had been on recently.
Christmas tended to be the most awful time of the year for Ciel, so it would be nice to have a bit of a break tomorrow, as no one ever scheduled meetings on Christmas Eve. As long as he could make it through the Queen’s party unscathed, he will have gotten through the Christmas season untouched.
Sebastian listened and tilted his head ever so slightly, a small smile on his face. “Of course, though I recall you advising me to act like a proper butler, and Tanaka used to scold you for this so I shall do the same. If you would like to revoke this, you know what you need to do,” he says quietly and then steps back to allow Ciel ample time to finish his drink.
Sebastian stood by the window, closing his eyes for a moment as if to rest while standing, not speaking out of line as that wasn’t his place, as told by Ciel before. Sebastian was thinking to himself, not about much in particular, mostly about his existence outside of the mortal world, his brief moments of peace like this allowing him to rest. It was incredibly rare Sebastian allowed Ciel to even see him rest for seconds, though he knew Ciel would be taking his time to savour his drink, being shaken still Ciel didn’t even notice that Sebastian was resting slightly. His tired brain could only focus on one thing at once, and currently, that one thing was his milk with honey.
Tanaka was always a much harsher butler than Sebastian, but that’s how he wanted it. He didn’t like to have a butler who constantly corrected him on things that didn’t matter. Why should it matter if he would have bad teeth when he gets older if he won’t even live to see such a thing?
“You’re not Tanaka.” Ciel said finally. “Don’t act like him. You will continue to pose as my butler refrain from trying to fix behaviors that will not have an effect on me in my nonexistent future. It makes you seem foolish.”
Sebastian opened an eye to look at his master, looking from the corner of his eye.
“Yes, my lord,” he said simply, being somewhat irked he was pulled from his deep thought, though he didn’t show it. He wasn’t even sure Ciel knew he rested.
“I shall refrain from correcting those actions from now on,” he said and turned his head towards the young boy. Sebastian looked and saw how Ciel was still drinking, and he presumed that it was alright for him to rest again for a moment, standing with his hands behind him as he stood peacefully.
Ciel didn’t even bother to pay attention to Sebastian for much longer. He continued to sip his milk silently, gazing out the window every once in a while to the cold, unforgiving outside.
He laid back against his pillow, breathing out a quiet sigh.
“Stay until I fall asleep, Sebastian.” He said sternly as he allowed himself to fully rest. He closed his eyes, feeling his body slowly succumb to the much needed sleep.
Sebastian opened his eyes and moved beside the young boy, putting his empty cup and saucer onto the tray beside the pot, neatly arranging it for when he took it back downstairs “of course, young master.” he says and nods, bringing the quilt up closer so that Ciel was covered. Sebastian stepped back, observing how the younger fell asleep so quickly, despite his efforts not to sleep at all.
Once Ciel had fallen asleep, Sebastian took the tray downstairs and washed up, before returning to the main entrance hall to resume decorating, rather fiendishly as he knew Ciel had shared his distaste for christmas. Sebastian knew that Ciel had a strong hatred for Christmas and and especially Christmas day, but Sebastian couldn’t avoid and pass by the opportunity to one-up his master.
Ciel was thankfully not plagued by any more foul dreams that night. They would be for another time.