Fun and Games (Ciel Phantomhive x Reader One-Shot)

Miserable at best was your Young Master, who constantly fritted away on his chess board, wasting away the hours of the day without getting a single thing finished. It irked you to see him like this. Ever since Lady Elizabeth's passing he withdrew from nearly everyone and refused to go anywhere at all, clearly still grieving for his bethrothed.

Such a bad hand he was dealt in life, first his parents, then his aunt, and now his one and only betrothed. What ever life held in store for Ciel, would obviously not be good. Though Ciel never showed much of any signs of affection towards the girl, he did truly love Elizabeth. In a way, she was all he had after the accident his parents were involved in. Now that she was gone, that part of himself disappeared only with her. Distraught, disdained, and self-pity was all that existed left in the Young Master.

A pang of hurt ached in your chest, it was all unfair to him.

"(Name)" Sebastian's voice rang as he rounded the corner to the kitchen, looking at you with a smile. This snapped you from your reverie, forcing you to look up from the meal you were making. The delectable smell of smoked ham filled your senses, making your stomach rumble in response. Sebastian noticed this, but did not address it. "I will be away for a bit, please bring the Young Master his lunch and keep him entertained." You nodded curtly and began arranging his meal, which consisted of a few small sandwiches and a petite slice of cake. Ciel never ate anything of large portion, after all. He was still a child, if not mentally then physically. Though, he'd never like to admit it. His short stature, however, quickly ratted out this dreadful fact about him. Making haste to balance the assorted disposition of food on the tray, you took off to the Young Master's office.

Time Skip, 5 minutes

The tall wooden door was rather heavy as you pushed it open, your eyes gazing upon Ciel with an unspoken sweetness. "Your lunch, master." Though your voice was soft, Ciel heard it with ease and turned his head to look in your direction. All that presented itself in that deep blue eye of his was a glaze of hurt, of grief. It made your heart constrict in your chest.

"Right.." His voice was strained as he spoke from his position at his chess board. "I will eat it later.. For now, come play chess with me."

You blinked a few times in surprise at his words, unsure if you heard him correctly. He wanted you to play chess with him? You'd only played a few times, with a makeshift board Bard had created. For a man who didn't know how to cook, his woodwork skills weren't half bad. Though why chess was an option when he must be hungry by this ti-

"(Name). Now, if you would please." His tone was now laced with annoyance. He was rather impatient, after all. Some things never changed, even in an instance like this. It was somewhat comforting to hear.

"Yes, my lord." You responded, sitting in the seat opposite of him. Your (e/c) orbs gazed upon him cautiously; he did look really down.

Grief stricken. Hurt. Looking more like an adult now than he ever had before. If it was not for his young demeanor, he would have stress lines beneath his eyes, but instead there were dark circles from lack of proper sleep. It worried you.

"Let us begin.." He made his first move with his bishop, and the game began. He played tactically, planning out his every move carefully as if the pieces actually were people, like the game resulted in life or death.

"Check mate." He whispered, looking at his King at the end of the board. "You play well, (Name).."

"Oh, not really I'm sure, Sir." You responded in a high tone, flustered. "I should really get back now, Sir. Sebastian will be arriving soon." Rising to your feet, you grabbed the tray that was now empty. He must've eaten while the game progressed, but you had been so focused that you didn't notice.

A hand gripped your sleeve, forcing you to stop in your tracks. Looking down, you face Ciel, his hair disheveled and what seemed like fear in his eye.

"Wait, (Name)." He muttered, looking honestly frightened. "Promise me you will never die."

"My young lord?" You cocked your head to the right, not understanding. Everyone had to die someday, after all. But.. Seeing Ciel like this was new.

"You are all I have left besides Sebastian, please. Promise me you won't die." He responded, looking up to you with wide, hurt eyes.

There it was again, that pang in your chest. Hesitantly, your left hand trailed up to rest in his messy, soft hair.

"I'm not going anywhere, Young Master. I will stay by your side." His gaze softened and he released your sleeve, only to wrap his small arms around your middle. His gaze focused elsewhere, no longer up at your face.

"Stay by my side forever, that's an order." And with that, he snuggled close.