Chapter Text
Being bound to a child going through puberty was one thing; being bound to a child going through puberty named Ciel, a whole other thing. The young Earl was anything but ordinary. That was something Sebastian had known the day he had been summoned and formed their contract. Despite everything that had happened to him and despite the hate, that was consuming him, Ciel had a fire underneath it all that drew him in. And even though he might act mature beyond his years – he was in most aspects – a child he still was.
It amused Sebastian to no end how his little master would make selfish demands and try to test the limits of their bond. It was almost as much fun as riling him up.
Still Sebastian knew better than to let his guard down around the Earl. Their game of dominance was amusing and one had to be always prepared. While most people saw the Earl of Phantomhive as nothing more than a spoiled child and tended to underestimate him, Sebastian knew the sharp mind and manipulative ways that lay behind the facade. He was one of the very few who knew the full extent of the darkness Ciel carried with him. It pleased him more than it probably should. And even though he liked to blame it on their game, he was well aware that his interest in the boy was becoming troublesome. Then again, Ciel had been one of the few humans who managed to keep his interest for so long. So much about him was different from the people who would usually summon him and make a contract. And almost all of them would try to find a way out of it sooner or later. Ciel had not done that. He was aware of their contract and the consequences and had simply accepted them. It didn’t mean that he was not afraid, Sebastian knew all about his fears, but his stubbornness was something else. For the first time, Sebastian was not trying to hurry the contract along, almost enjoying himself too much with this.
Shaking off his musings, Sebastian threw a quick look at the Earl. The boy was walking slightly in front of him, detached as always, as they made their way through the streets. It was a busy day, as Christmas was drawing near, and more and more people were on their way to gather gifts for their loved ones. The streets were unusually crowded and Sebastian could see how Ciel tried to avoid being stuck in a crowd. Normally people would keep a respective distance from nobles, but at a day like this, it was clearly impossible.
Smirking slightly to himself, Sebastian moved closer to Ciel. He had known this would happen. They had taken a carriage to get to the townhouse earlier this afternoon to visit Souma and Agni, before they would get what they came for. And really, under normal circumstances, they would have taken the carriage to get to their destination, but it had only taken a few well-chosen words in front of Souma and Agni for the Earl to decide that they were going by foot. Sometimes it was just too easy, to get the boy to do what he wanted. As different as he may be in certain aspects, he was as predictable in others. Certain reactions could always be expected. The flushed anger Ciel displayed when he was embarrassed and angry was certainly one of the most entertaining. Smiling to himself, Sebastian took a closed look at Ciel. Maybe it was time to have some more fun.
“Young Master, I must insist, you take my hand. It would be troublesome if you got lost in the crowd.” Sebastian told him quietly. As expected Ciel send him a glare, probably about to protest, when another person walked into him and nearly knocked the boy over.
Smirking at him, Sebastian did not waste any time to grab the hand unoccupied by his walking stick.
“Now, we do not want to cause a scene, right, you master?”
He could almost taste Ciel’s anger, but the young Earl stayed stubbornly silent. Given the amount of people walking around them, it was unlikely that many would notice or comment, but Sebastian knew that the fact that he was treated like a child humiliated Ciel more than anything.
“Now, we must hurry along. We wouldn’t want the shop to close before we were able to make our purchase.”
Quickening his steps, while still holding Ciel’s hand, he could hear the small noise of protest perfectly. For a moment, the boy was all but stumbling along behind him, before he managed to fall into step with him. As much fun as it would be to make him run, it would end his fun much too soon. There was still the chance of just sweeping the boy in his arms to carry him to their location, the reaction would be certainly amusing, but the protest would be immediate.
As expected, the boy ripped his hand out of his grasp as soon as they were in front of the shop they had wanted to visit. Ciel sent him another glare, before entering. Sebastian kept his face neutral, as it would not do to appear amused by his master in front of a stranger, but inside he was laughing. Ciel knew it too, as he was sending glares in his direction ever so often.
Standing at a respectful distance, Sebastian waited for Ciel to finish his purchase, before taking the package. Sending a bright smile towards Ciel, as they had left the shop, he held out his hand to the boy.
“Shall we, young master?”
“I am perfectly capable of walking on my own.” Ciel growled at him and started down the streets again.
“Most certainly, young master,” Sebastian easily replied. “Though I must insist that we hurry, as it is almost time for dinner. There is still much to prepare and I would hate for dinner to be late today.”
And with that he swept him into his arms, ignoring the boys protest, as he strode down the street. Soon they would be away from other human’s eyes and he would be able to use his full speed to get them home.
As soon as they would be out of other’s ear-shot Ciel would start cursing him, though he would never actually command to be set down. Oh, the young Earl would certainly say so, and quite loudly at that. He would pout and be angry and yell, but in the end he would not use the power he was given to give the command. Ciel would certainly come up with a lot of useless requests later on and maybe he would even be angry enough to try to use an actual command to punish him, but for now everything was as he wanted it to be. And for the moment that was enough for him. Smirking slightly to himself, as they finally left the other people behind him, Sebastian sped up, just as Ciel opened his mouth to scream at him.
As strange as it may be, Sebastian did not want to trade these moments for anything.