A/N: I have no experience writing Kuroshitsuji, and I haven't read a Kuroshitsuji fanfic since the anime ended. But this is a sorta-late Christmas-present (although the plot has nothing to do with Christmas) to CKairu, who adores this series. Here goes nothing. XD

The time is set after Ciel and Sebastian's escape from Viscount of Druitt's party, all the way back in Kuroshitsuji Season One. Yeah, I know, so vintage. (And Ciel does not have his pink hat. I think it disappeared when they were returning.)

Sp/gram errors and DM linked words will be fixed…eventually.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji.

Phantomhive Estate, hallway, 12:04 A.M…

Tonight had been infuriating impossible without Sebastian present, Bard thought. The Young Master and him had left hours ago with Ciel's aunt and that Chinese man (whose sanity Bard doubted) to an unknown destination and had not returned. A dinner of baked fish and salad had been masterfully prepared by Bard, yet Meirin and Finny had gone to bed early with a bout of stomachache, the bumbling fools. Truthfully, Bard didn't taste much of his own cooking, but he trusted his skills enough to believe that his cuisine was at least ten times as good as Sebastian's.

With Tanaka and Finny asleep, Bard had tiptoed out of his room, ready to prepare the breakfast ingredients for tomorrow. After all, he was the chef, and he couldn't let Sebastian do everything…although that was what he usually did. He chewed his unlit cigarette in satisfaction and strolled down the hallway, imagining all the praises Sebastian would be giving him tomorrow morning at how smart and clever he was to have prepared the dishes beforehand.

Just as he was about to make a turn and walk into the kitchen, a rattling noise from outside startled the blond, making him falter and hide behind the doorframe. It was an intruder! But he hadn't brought any weapons with him…no matter, he could see his flamethrower stashed underneath the kitchen table, he could slide in and grab it and light up the burglars like firecrackers—

"I hope Young Master has learned a valuable lesson today," murmured a voice, smooth as velvet. Bard relaxed considerably. It was Sebastian…but why was he coming in through the window, and why did he have a girl clinging to his neck?

So that's where he went, Bard thought slyly. And I thought he was a pretty decent guy, too…but she's not bad looking, either…

The girl flipped one of her long pigtails and glowered. "I have learned nothing save the fact that even you can be late when I call."

Bard nearly choked on air, which he would later find ridiculous. It wasn't a pretty young lady of high esteem climbing into the manor with Sebastian in pink ruffles and silk, but Ciel Phantomhive. But why would he do something like that? Bard pressed his hand on the frame and leaned in, close enough to see but not conspicuous enough to be seen.

The butler merely smiled. "Were you frightened, Young Master?"

Ciel seemed to be pondering something when suddenly he hoisted himself on the counter, ignoring the ruffles in the dress that was making it difficult to sit. "Like hell I was," he muttered, then gave a tiny start. "What is the meaning of this, Sebastian?"

A little black cat had grappled onto the wooden counter, stretching luxuriously next to the boy. Ciel covered his nose and sneezed. "Get that thing away from me!"

Sebastian hurriedly removed the kitten, but did not set it down. He cradled it, as a mother would her baby. "I apologize, Young Master. She didn't mean any harm, did you?" he purred to the cat, who purred back in adoration.

Ciel scratched his nose. "You know you are not allowed to have kittens in—" He hesitated. "Do they not have cats where you come from?"

The butler's eyes gleamed. "No," he admitted. "There are no cats in my home."

Bard saw the boy's eye twitch slightly. "This is your home, Sebastian," he countered. "But—where is this home you refer to?"

Sebastian pretended to be surprised. "Demons have to come from somewhere."

"Perhaps." Ciel's fingers drummed the table. "And again, perhaps not." He eyed the kitten with something akin to envy, and lowered his lashes. "What is it that you find so intriguing about cats? Why not dogs?"

"Dogs are loyal, but they are too attached to humans. Therefore they become part of humans. But cats, on the other hand…they are their own masters. And they're beautiful." He smirked. "They make my stay in the human world quite endurable."

By this point, Bard supposed that the butler of the house had lost his mind, saying nonsense like, "demons" and "the human world." So underneath that gentlemanly façade was a madman… But his Young Master didn't retaliate at the butler at how strange his speech was. It was as if he understood, and was a part of it…

Ciel stuck out his lower lip and glared. He knew he did not look very intimidating in a girl's costume, so he tore off his fake pigtails and laid them on the counter. "Do I make your stay here endurable?"

This time, Sebastian appeared sincerely surprised. "Excuse me, Young Master, I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that—"

Ciel bit his lip in frustration and embarrassment. "I said, 'Do I make your stay here endurable?'"

The butler's mouth curled into a knowing smile. He leaned in and breathed on the boy's face, "Yes."

"You are lying."

"What a thing to accuse me of. I never lie."

"And there's another lie."

His grin intensified, if that was possible. "Ciel Phantomhive, the only reason I am here is for you and only you."

"Prove it." Ciel crossed his gloved arms. "Prove that you're not lying."

Bard stuck his head through the doorframe just in time to catch Sebastian lean in closer to Young Master, closing the distance between their lips. Sebastian tilted the boy's chin upwards and descended—but he was blocked by Ciel, who slammed his palms in the butler's face furiously.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The kitten that Sebastian had dropped nipped at his ankles and rubbed against him. He brushed his hair back and sent his master a bewildered look. "Proving that I do not lie."

"Well, I am not a woman, you idiot!" He sighed resignedly. "Perhaps demons interpret human meanings differently. Let me rephrase it for you then: Would you die for me?"

"Yes."

Ciel raised his eyebrow in amusement. "Really? Not a single moment of hesitation, Sebastian?"

"No."

"Can demons die, Sebastian?"

He placed one gloved hand to his heart. "I shall be the first, if you wish it."

Ciel pulled the glove off, running his finger over the contract symbol. "I still think you are lying." He laughed. "Are your nails originally this color?"

And Bard, with wide, frightened eyes, watched Sebastian's eyes glow inhumanely red, the pupils narrowing to slits like a cat. His nails…they were black; not painted black, either, but filled with a polished button-blackness. But what unnerved the blond the most was what the Young Master was looking at: a lone star, outlined with a circle of jagged spikes that seemed to have been carved into the butler's hand. And when he looked more carefully, he realized that the Young Master was not wearing his eye patch. For the first time, Bard saw the hidden, light violet eye that bore the same symbol he'd seen on Sebastian.

"I suppose they are," the butler said. "Come, Young Master, it is late."

Sebastian lifted Ciel up and delicately placed him on the floor, much to the boy's indignation. "I said I'm not a woman," he fumed.

"I am aware—"

"Then stop treating me like one!"

"I apologize, but if you must know, I was treating you like a cat."

Ciel's eyes widened briefly, but narrowed them just as fast. He couldn't have meant…no…it was impossible. "Don't compare me with that. Sebastian, I expect you to take care of whatever…feline friends…you have out in the garden and away from the house, do you understand?"

"Of course."

It was time for Bard to run for it; Sebastian and the Young Master were coming out. He ran back into his room and quietly slipped the door shut. The contract symbol and Ciel's "blind" eye…he did not know what it was, but he feared it, and he knew at that moment that Sebastian was truly not a human. Once his head hit the pillows, he realized how tired he was, and he dismissed the entire encounter as a dream. After all, even if he asked about it in the morning Sebastian would avoid the topic altogether. But whatever was between Sebastian and his Young Master was definitely none of his business.

Back in the hallway, Ciel turned in the direction that Bard had dashed. "Do you hear something, Sebastian?"

He smiled benignly. "No, Young Master."

They continued down the hall with Ciel chattering on about tomorrow's plans. "…and Aunt Angelina will return to finish our discussion. I think that is all."

"Yes, Young Master," he replied, "but one more thing…"

Ciel looked up. "Yes?"

"I never lie."