So, pff, it's only been like... two months. That's nooothing. Heh...

For those of you who have been on my profile lately, you'll know that I'm taking a (tiny) hiatus that pertained to all of my stories. For those of you who were waiting for an update, I'm so sorry! I've been in a losing battle to sort out my writing lately and when I eventually get over that I'll be able to start giving regular updates again. ^^

I feel awful for taking so long to update because you guys are such good reviewers! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It didn't go unnoticed.

Title: Youth
Fiction Rating: K
Genre: Romance...?
Word Count: 1,046
Summary: Elder lips crashed against younger, and for once, there was agelessness.

Dedication: To my dearest wifey Savvy for... BirthdayChristmasValentine'sDay. But appropriately, Valentine's day mostest, even though I'm a day early. BE MINE, LOVE?

His face might've looked young, but his eyes told a different story.

It was here that most of the injustices against the Phantomhive name, estate, and industries were formed. There was something coarsely effective about laying eyes on Ciel Phantomhive that set people off. Very consequently too, as was obvious within and of the number of people who would very much like to see the young British boy gagged and bound, slowly drowning at the bottom of an ocean.

It was in his eyes.

Where youth meets age, where age clashes and violently renders a tune of youth's reluctant husk…. where time meets nature, there is hell.

It is blunt, dry, mercilessly cruel, and unforgiving. This hell is so rathered nonexistent that humans had gone so far as adapted to strangle and squelch it. It was denied entrance and ownership to the world. Denied right. In very few was it ever still seen.

It was that what set people off about Ciel Phantomhive.

There was something crudely unnatural about his eyes. And if there was anything Sebastian had learned about humans over the years, it was that when there was something unnatural around, the living straightforwardly rejected it.

In Ciel's case, it was his eyes.

Physically, the young Earl was like any other boy his age. His scrawny body, clumsy thinness, heart shaped face, messy hair... it could even be said that his reluctance to a smile was natural, considering his age. He was maturing. Growing. Your average, normal boy of thirteen. On the outside.

So what about him made one feel so… so threatened?

Put frankly, your average thirteen year old boy couldn't even compare.

The lucky few who had the opportunity to face Ciel eye-to-eye were the few that understood. Though Ciel's eyes had seen perhaps a measly thirteen years, the emotion, dictation, the expression that shone brightly from Ciel's eyes was enough to warrant the years he'd seen outlived Sebastian's life span.

In his eyes, he looked learned. Ancient, intellectual, philosophical. And all those things, coming from a thirteen year old's eyes—it was enough to make anyone feel uneasily, hopelessly threatened.

Enough to make anyone, perhaps, besides Sebastian.

Having been through so much with one person, after all, first impressions wore free.

As the creature he was, Sebastian was not particularly respected and thought prideless, lowly, pathetic and desperate for waiting on a human. And let others judge and think him scum for serving a species he should rather be dining on and at such an age.

For after a day—an hour of knowing young Phantomhive, Sebastian knew he was no ordinary child. No ordinary human. Rather, he stood above his entire species easily.

It wasn't long before Sebastian developed a respect for him that was much greater than the one that existed in a normal servant-master relationship. Or in a normal demon-human one for that matter.

Father-son?

No, that wasn't it. Ah, but to digress.

Whatever the relationship, Sebastian knew it involved concern. And Sebastian was concerned primarily because of those eyes.

With swirls of dignity, intellect, and maturity…. where had the youth gone? Because there was certainly none present. Of the many questions in Sebastian's mind, that was not one.

He'd argue that it was unhealthy, but it's not like he knew enough about humans to be taken seriously. And wasn't as if Ciel wasn't aware of that.

"I said, you can go now."

Sebastian blinked from his daze. The first question that came to his mind was one taking to the amount of time he had been standing there.

"Or would you rather stare at dust particles for a bit longer?'

Sebastian's surroundings reformed around him. He was looking down on his young master whose starry blue eyes—or the one visible, at least—were closed tight in annoyance. It didn't take long for Sebastian to compose himself, and when he did, it was with a chuckle.

"You speak as if you dislike my services. Is my prescience unwanted tonight?"

"I'm feeling rather smothered tonight," Ciel mumbled without opening his eyes. He waved the multiple pages of one of the various contracts Sebastian had brought him to emphasize them. "Bringing the papers has been enough. Go make yourself useful elsewhere."

Spoken like a true adult.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian bowed. He turned, no less intrigued by Ciel than he had been only moments before.

When he called out for him, Ciel's voice sounded strained and uncomfortable—it was a tone unfamiliar to Sebastian entirely.

"Sebastian."

Obediently the butler turned. "Sir?"

"Why have you been…" A thoughtful look passed the Earl's face as he attempted to recompose his infuriation. "Why…?" he failed again.

It was as if the confused stammering coming from his mouth was used solely as a chance for the fates to mockingly make Sebastian rethink the entire "adults in a child's body" idea.

"Sir?" Sebastian repeated.

"I feel analyzed, frankly."

Sebastian smirked. "Only in good regards, my Lord, of course."

"Hm." The adult-like, condescending expression realigned on Ciel's face. "…And your conclusions?"

"I rather doubt you'd like to hear them."

"And how does 'high regards' play into that, exactly?"

He was. Sebastian didn't know how, but in some way, Ciel was grown.

Ah. Were he not deprived of even the slightest emotion, Sebastian may have been rather upset reaffirming his… well, his analysis. However, that was not the case.

Within moments, Sebastian closed the distance between them, seeing to it that they were inches apart.

Closer, Ciel looked even more annoyed, more adult. Sebastian got more wind of his eyes. Of the expression.

He hadn't forgotten how to do this.

Elder lips crashed against younger…

…And for once, there was agelessness.

When he pulled away however—that was a different matter.

The familiar blush was present—along with a wide eyed spluttering, confused, almost scared expression.

A childish one.

Really, Sebastian could find anything in the boy, even though finding childishness in such an adult was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

"Young Master, I've changed my opinion."

Ciel was too busy spluttering to reply—it didn't even seem as though he'd acknowledged Sebastian's comment. It was quite ungraceful.

"You have nothing to worry about."

A youth, and yet adult.

What a confusing child.