Chapter 11; Sanctuary

Sebastian woke up for the second time inside the Phantomhive mansion, only this time lying on Ciel's bed. He was too weak to prop himself up, so he only shut his eyes and hoped to fall back into his slumber. Unfortunately, the pulsing intense pain kept him from doing so. He sighed. It was just as bad as being sick, only this time he hurt everywhere. Getting tired of looking at the bed sheet ceiling, he forced himself up, silently groaning as the pain highly increased for the moment. The demon leaned his back against the bed frame and breathed heavily. He was in no condition to be moving like that, and he definitely did not plan on doing it for a while. It would take weeks for him to recover, and the Phantomhive estate would not be able to easily continue without him. The injured butler began to wonder where the other servants were, or the young master for that matter. He couldn't really remember anything that had happened after he woke up the first time. All he could recall was the young master telling him those heartwarming words; "I forgive you." Sebastian shut his eyes and smiled, recalling the moment exactly.

Speaking of the child, Ciel slowly opened the door, being careful not to wake Sebastian up, but to his surprise the demon already was. "I'm glad to finally see you rise," Ciel said, "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it." The young master smiled when his butler smirked, and the noble crossed over to his courageous butler and sat at the edge of the bed next to him. He was holding a strange little red bottle. Ciel slowly poured some of the thick liquid onto a spoon and shoved it into his butler's mouth before he could protest. "I know it's disgusting, but the anesthesia will comfort all the pain you're feeling, although it will take a little time to kick in." He removed the spoon from Sebastian's mouth and set the bottle and spoon on the nightstand, then looked at his butler again; not his face, but at his body that was covered by the sheets, all except for his arms. Every bruise and scrape had been bandaged. His hands, his head, his neck, his chest, his shoulder, even some injuries on his arms and legs were found, but they were minor. Ciel gave a sincere look at his bold servant and frowned. "I bet you're tired."

Sebastian nodded. "Extremely." It a lot to talk, yet he was curious about his young master's condition and forced himself to speak, clearing his throat. "You're not hurt, are you?"

The earl shook his head and shifted his position to where he was now sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Tanaka found a few bruises on me, and I seemed to have hit my head fairly hard, but that's all. The servants also had a few wounds on their bodies, but you're the one who turned up the worst." There was a moment of silence before Ciel awkwardly chuckled. "They said they found you lying twice on the ground, not sure if you were dead on either occasion." Ciel now looked at his butler in the eyes, and Sebastian lifted his head to do the same. The young master let out a sigh, not sure how to keep the conversation going anymore. "That was twice today that you almost died for me." Another long moment of silence passed, going on for what seemed like an eternity. Ciel bowed his head and looked at his fingers. "You fought bravely. Thank you."

The demon breathed and smiled. He didn't want to say anything else. He was perfectly happy where he was. All he wanted to do at that point was rest- it was all he could do anyway, seeing that he wasn't about to continue on with his duties. Sebastian felt the pain fleeing his body, and he couldn't exactly think anymore. He only began to feel tired. The butler closed his eyes again and rested his head on the bedframe. Realizing the conversation would end, Ciel scooted closer and leaned on his butler's shoulder. A nap sounded extremely nice for the both of them.

Tanaka, Bard, Meirin, and Finnian stared at the two through the crack of the doorway and smiled, making little comments and silently giggling. It comforted them to see that their beloved master and fellow servant were fine and well. "Come, let us leave them be," Tanaka whispered, moving from the door way. The other three scattered from the door one after the other and fled to the center of the hallway.

Bard pointed at himself and grinned so wide that his eyes squinted shut. "I'm gonna cook themma nice breakfast ta eat fer when they wake up!" He joyfully hollered, scurrying to the kitchen. Finnian and Meirin cheered in agreement, soon skipping after their friend. Tanaka gently smiled at the three, and turned again to observe the butler and the master sleeping together. They looked so peaceful, the way the golden morning sun hit their faces. The old man took hold of the door knob and quietly closed the door, granting the two of them their deep, well-earned slumber.