I decided to continue this! It's going to be a series of one-shots. You can look at them as being connected or not, it doesn't really matter.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they mean a lot and make my day so much sweeter!

Ciel knew he was getting sick before the fever took over his body; He felt the burning in his throat, and the congestion in his nose. The headache was just an added bonus.

Sebastian had thrown him a few curious glances whenever he'd sniffed, but hadn't said anything to indicate he knew what was going on.

Ciel was glad – he didn't need a demon ordering him to stay in bed, he'd lose a lot of time because of it. He couldn't afford to lose time – not when his company was on the verge of developing a new toy Ciel was sure would be a hit with children of all classes.

Sitting at his desk, the young lord filed through various papers, slapping his signature on a few of them and sealing an important envelope. He watched as the red wax dried; now carrying his unmistakable sign.

Just as three familiar knocks resounded in the room, Ciel couldn't supress a faint cough. He buried his face in documents, trying to look casual.

As the butler entered, however, he looked at his protégé, one eyebrow raised knowingly. "The young master seems to be coming down with a cold," he observed. "Maybe it would do you good to take a rest, lest your asthma starts acting up again."

"Don't be ridiculous. I must have coughed because Maylene didn't clean my office sufficiently. You'll tell her to do it over as soon as I'm leaving for dinner."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian put the tray with tea and snacks in front of him, grabbed the tea pot and poured him a cup of Darjeeling. "However, I am merely concerned about your health. Your schedule has been very tight lately."

Ciel scoffed and took a sip of the hot beverage. "What are you trying to tell me? That I can't handle a bit of stress? I find that rather insulting."

"With all due respect, young master, I have noticed alarming signs since this morning, but I decided to stay silent. However," Sebastian knitted his eyebrows, "when the young master coughed just now, I felt compelled to intervene. Coughing hasn't led to many good things in the past."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"Lie down and take the day off."

Ciel lifted the newspaper, looking at it with so much concentration it was obvious he was not reading anything at all. "I cannot afford to do that."

"Young master, I humbly advise you to lie down and rest."

"I humbly remind you that I am the master in this contract."

"I humbly remind you that your health and survival are my top priorities, and that I will not back down from this."

Ciel lowered the newspaper covering his face and looked at his butler. "Right," he said, "because otherwise you'll starve to death, if demons are even able to starve." He folded the newspaper and held up his hand in a silent command. "No, I don't even want to know." Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. "I guess one day will be acceptable. I'd rather lie down with dignity than having a demon dragging me into my bedroom."

Ciel stood and walked past his butler. "Forget what I said earlier," he added, "Maylene shall take a break, you'll clean the office instead."

Ciel knew he was being petty, but he also knew Sebastian liked their little games – just as he liked them, too.

As he lay in bed, the curtains closed, he stared at the ceiling. The burning in his throat had gotten worse over the last few hours, and at this point he didn't even want to stand up and get dinner. Ciel swallowed and turned to lie on his side, but breathing got harder as soon as he moved, so he turned back around. His body was burning, and he knew he should throw back his thick blanket, but his arms felt too weak to even lift a feather. The shirt he worse stuck to his skin, drenched in sweat.

He yearned for a cold shower, but the thought of standing and moving nauseated him.

Discarding his last bit of resistance, Ciel admitted that he was sick.

Very sick.

And it promised to get worse when the tightness in his chest increased. He sat up in a flash, trying to take deep breaths.

In and out.

In and out.

In and –

Panic pooled in his stomach. He felt ice cold hands pressing down on his chest, encircling his neck – preventing him from breathing.

"Seba-"

"Young master."

Ciel heard the voice, and it yanked him out of his feverish panic back to reality.

"Breathe."

"I ca – I can – I can't!"

His eyes widened, and his hands gripped the blanket for support – support a piece of fabric wasn't able to give. Big hands engulfed his own, prying them open and wrapping themselves around them.

"I'll be back shortly; I've purchased some mint oil after our last incident."

Even with his mind in a haze, it didn't escape Ciel how Sebastian left out the 'at the circus', but he was too distracted to sort out his thoughts and search for reasons.

Ciel hadn't even noticed Sebastian had left the room until the bed dipped beside him again.

"Please lie down."

Ciel heard Sebastian's voice fade into the background, the ringing in his ears taking precedence. He knew he was losing consciousness, but he was too relieved to be scared.

"Young master."

It was the first thing Ciel heard when he opened his eyes. He groaned, the bright sunlight blinding him. A shadow moved in front of the window, approaching the bed with slow steps.

The next thing he knew, a bare hand was laying on his forehead.

"Your fever seems to have gone down. Lady Elizabeth will be pleased to hear this."

"Lizzy…?"

Ciel blinked and squinted, until he was finally able to make out Sebastian's features.

"How does she know?"

Sebastian lifted his hand and put his glove back on. "She was here a few hours ago. Her surprise visit didn't go as planned this time."

Swallowing, Ciel grimaced. His mouth was dry and sticky, and his throat continued to burn mercilessly. "Bring me some water."

Ciel recoiled as a glass of water appeared in front of his face. "Of course," he murmured, not yet coherent enough to control what came out of his mouth. "Of course you would have already prepared a glass of water."

"My, my," Sebastian chided. "The young master seems to have forgotten I'm one hell of a butler."

"Sebastian," Ciel looked at him over the rim of his glass, his blue eyes glinting, "for once in your life, shut up."