Work Text:
Ciel glanced up from the book he was reading to watch Sebastian go around the room, dusting the shelves and moving things back into their original place.
Suddenly, the thought hit him, a random passing thought that he pulled back into his mind to examine. He didn't bother trying to deny it, since it was in his mind for starters. Not to mention the fact that his soul was already damned to hell. Any feelings that he happened to have for the demon who would ensure his death wouldn't exactly make it worse.
He carefully weighed his options in his mind. Certainly, any feelings that he had would, once again, not change his fate. Bringing them up wouldn't make any difference either. But perhaps it would be nice to say it. He may get a reaction out of the damn butler as well, so that would be a plus. And if he started to tease him about it, he could just order him not to. He was the master, after all.
"Sebastian, did you know that I love you?"
He said it calmly. He said it as if he were telling him there was a stain on the carpet, or that it looked like it would rain later. That casual tone was probably the primary factor in Sebastian's stunned silence as he turned to face Ciel with a wide-eyed look.
Still, he recovered quickly from his shock, and he turned back to his task.
"I was not aware, my lord. For how long?" he asked, in the same calm Ciel had used. Ciel could sense the smirk though.
"Just now realized it, actually" the master replied, turning his gaze back to his book. Sebastian chuckled, though it was rather hard to place. It sounded amused, but also rather affectionate. Ciel shrugged the thought off and looked back at his butler.
"Is something amusing to you?" he asked. On any other day, he would have been a bit angry. But given what they were discussing, he supposed it was rather funny. So he kept his calm expression, a light smirk on his face.
"You're taking this rather lightly, compared to confessions I've gotten in the past" Sebastian replied simply, as he turned back to look at his master. Ciel's smirk dropped, and he was instantly curious. He felt like he should have been jealous, but somehow he wasn't. He was just as calm about this as he was about his confession.
"Who confessed to you? Besides Grell, I mean" he asked, chuckling a bit at the disgusted expression that Sebastian wore at the mere mention of the reaper.
"Mostly past contractors. They all panicked about their feelings, though. I caught some of them crying about it, about being in love with a creature who could never love them back..."
Sebastian trailed off, and Ciel continued to watch him.
"That's not to say that we can't love, however. We simply can only love someone who is our soulmate, for lack of a better word" the demon explained. Ciel nodded in understanding. He almost went back to reading his book, but he caught the gaze that Sebastian was giving him. His expression was neutral, as always, but his eyes swarmed with emotions.
"I feel as though you're trying to tell me something" Ciel said, as calm as ever, and he closed the book. He didn't much care about whatever plot it had been detailing right now.
Sebastian darted over, kneeling on one knee in front of his master before the boy could even blink. He held his contracted hand over his heart, and he gave Ciel a dazzling smile.
"My lord, did you know that I love you?"
Ciel raised an eyebrow. He'd essentially said the same thing just a few moments ago, and he chuckled.
"I wasn't aware. For how long?" he asked, repeating what Sebastian had said. The butler reached over and took Ciel's hand in his own.
"A few months now. You've kept me waiting"
Ciel rolled his eyes, and held Sebastian's hand so their fingers entwined.
"I would have thought that you would have told me immediately. Now we're that much closer to..."
Ciel's voice trailed off, and he frowned at the memory of their contract, and his impending death. Sebastian, however, simply pulled the boy from his chair and into his arms, wrapping him in an embrace.
"You know, the contract simply says that I will get your soul. It says nothing about what I must do with it" he whispered into the boy's ear. Ciel rolled his eyes, one hidden underneath his eyepatch.
"Then what will you do with me?" he asked. He tried to seem as though he didn't care, but his calm facade had finally broken, and there was a waver in his voice that he hated.
Sebastian pulled away from their embrace, and he reached up to pull Ciel's eyepatch off, revealing their contract.
After staring at the mismtached eyes that he held so dear, he finally answered the question.
"I was hoping that you would allow me to make you immortal. You wouldn't be a full demon, though you would gain some of the benefits of one"
Ciel smiled - a real smile that Sebastian treasured dearly - and gave the demon a light kiss on the lips.
"I would like that very much"