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‘Where could he possibly have fled to?’
That one single phrase had been rattling inside the demon’s mind for about an hour now.
Although to Sebastian it felt like more than just an hour, sprinting through any corner on London’s streets non-stop. He didn’t care if many bystanders within the city gave him uncomfortable stares, nor if his own supernatural speed started to come through, his entire focus in the moment was needing to figure the whereabouts of the young child Ciel.
What slightly added insult to injury was the fact he may have barely raised his voice unintentionally at the blue-haired boy, and he only asked when the time would be when they could go home. Yes, the matters of how to deal with creating a toy company was frustrating and unappealing, but it certainly couldn’t make up for the sudden fear upon his big blue eyes.
There might’ve been another reason, perhaps the undying pain of hunger underneath his unholy skin he had to deal with for years, he wasn’t sure at that point and once again, he didn’t care.
It didn’t take long for Sebastian to suddenly realise his frantic searching led him all the way to Hyde Park, a common location for whenever he allowed Ciel to go outside with him, unsurprising by how fast he’s been moving. It could’ve been considered lucky if Ciel somehow managed to flee here, however, due to the current season he couldn’t be.
The cold, crisp air of autumn is much more effectual in the area of a public park, so the boy’s sickness would no doubt come into play anytime soon. There were piles of dry, filthy, warm-colored leaves scattered everywhere and he’d be foolish to not remember to stay clean. Not to mention the strangers strolling around that’d certainly set the boy frozen in fear - despite him being nine at this point, he still remained cautious around strangers.
No matter, he had to do what a father figure should do anyway. Sebastian went in and called out.
“Ciel!”
How saddening. An immortal being such as him wandering high and low and eyeing any human within the area, all for one singular child he was tending to for nine years (which isn’t a lot to him). He even thought to himself briefly similarly to before:
‘What am I even doing?’
He used to have doubts about becoming an adoptive parent before, but he didn’t thought about it often or that deeply, until that outburst he sprung onto the poor thing. If his starvation drove him to allow this issue to happen, who knows what he’d do to Ciel if it continued to grow worse.
Before giving further thought to the matter, the not-too-far rustling of leaves caught Sebastian’s attention. One quick glance over to the side is all the demon needed to spot a familiar blue figure only inches away, hurriedly looking through dry leaves like a hungry squirrel would. Sebastian felt mixed feelings swirling inside him; mainly relief.
Once again, he called out Ciel’s name.
The boy instantly recognised the voice and stared right at the parent figure approaching him.
“P-Papa!”
It was hard to tell if his tone sounded happy or roughly agitated.
To his surprise, Sebastian’s first instinct was to lift him off his feet and embrace his child close to his chest; pretty briefly so he could stare right into Ciel’s big blue eyes again after seeing them as distraught before their separation.
“Don’t you ever try fleeing away from me like that again, Ciel. Do you have any idea I searched almost all of London for you?” The man’s tone came out much more harsher than intended.
Ciel’s head tilted downward in shame, trying to hold back little tears. “I’m sorry.” He apologised. “I really tried looking for one on the streets but I couldn’t find one. So I had to come here.”
The narrow red eyes of the demon relaxed out of confusion, but also curiosity. “What do you mean?”
With that asked, Ciel shifted his eyes around the grass looking for what he dropped, then picked up what appeared to be a helicopter seed which came from the trees around them.
“I wanted to bring you a flower because Lizzy said they can cheer people up, but I couldn’t find any here either. So… can I give you one of the little spinning leaves instead?”
With the seed in hand, Sebastian became lost in thought. Memories of Ciel being fascinated by these tedious fragments of nature flew back to him. No words were said for a full minute, it caused the boy to grow wary, and yet it was broken by his father cracking a small smile. Sebastian’s other hand covered his mouth as he gave out a snicker - when was the last time he felt this sort of humor?
Ciel quickly formed a smile as well. “You’re laughing. I made you laugh.”
But the joy was soon cut short; the boy’s words were interrupted by a tiny sneeze. Sebastian halted his chuckling the very second he heard it, he quietly tucked the seed away and pulled out a handkerchief from the same pocket.
“I knew it.” He sighed. “Staying out here for too long will most certainly strengthen your condition.
After a quick wipe, they took each other’s hand, despite the sniffling Ciel wanting to be carried like he was still five. When Sebastian denied it, the boy wanted to be extra sure of something.
“Are you still upset with me?”
“Well… you did run off without notice. But on the other hand, I did play a part in it for telling you off for something which was not your fault. So… it’s my turn to apologise for acting so tactlessly.”
All Ciel did in response was hugging onto his arm. This common gesture for his to tell his father it’s okay.
And at that very moment did Sebastian begin to feel at ease once again. The things his little bluebird does to his unholy soul.
Due to how much Ciel had grown, he forgot all about being hungry once more.