A/N: O.O. Thanks for the awesome reviews peoples. Here's the next chapter (early) just for you. By the way...did anyone know Ciel is Heaven in French?? O___o
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Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or Sebastian's sexy ass or Ciel's cute little face. Comprendo?
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Chapter 1: Hell and Heaven
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4 years later...
The sun peaked over the horizons as the city began to ready itself for a brand new day. Inside the luxurious apartment of the one that belonged to Sebastian Michaelis, a young boy shifted in his sleep as the sun's rays began to creep over the boy's closed eyelids. He groaned at the onslaught of the unwanted intruder.
"Make the sun go away Sebastian." Ciel mumbled childishly in his sleep as he turned his body in a weak attempt to block the sun's incessant attack. A deep chuckle resonated as the bed began to dip downwards, making it known that someone else was present and ready to pounce.
"Ciel – don't you have finals today? You're going to be late." Sebastian chastised softly as patted the boy's cheek softly, trying to get his precious bundle to wake up. Another audible groan was heard as the boy stubbornly snuggled himself deeper into the bed, stubbornly refusing to face the new day.
Sebastian sighed like the exasperated guardian he was. Sometimes he wondered what compelled him to pick a complete stranger off the streets and decide to raise him. The last four years had been rather trying, even for him. Now Sebastian could sympathize with the mothers who had to raise their own children.
He stilled and shook his head. There should never be a time where he will have to synchronize with a female's feelings. That's Grell's job.
Sebastian stared at the 'bundle of joy' for a brief moment before a smirk crept onto his lips. There was always a foolproof method to get Ciel to wake up. He bent over and breathed hotly into the boy's ear. He could feel the body beneath him went rigid with attention.
"If you don't wake up now, You won't get any dessert for a week."
The boy's eyes snapped open and sat up instantly, narrowly missing Sebastian who had to move back to avoid the swift motion.
Wide blue eyes glowered in irritation as he eyed his guardian. "You wouldn't dare." Sebastian simply leered in his direction and turned to open the cabinet, setting Ciel's day clothes onto the bed. "Top the class and then we shall see." Ciel scoffed as he lifted himself from the bed. That wasn't even much of a challenge, given his classmates' underdeveloped craniums- unlike himself.
As the young boy ambled towards the bathroom, Sebastian's gaze lingered on the boy's lithe body. He had certainly grown.
Ciel Phantomhive was an odd little child. When Sebastian had found him, he was surprised to find that there were no records of the boy's presence anywhere. He didn't come from any nearby orphanage, nor was the victim of a failed kidnapping attempt. According to Ciel, he didn't have a birth certificate either. The boy had insisted that he had lost his memory and was thus unable to trace his origins. The only clue he had was a sapphire ring that he now hung around his neck. Still, that didn't help much at all.
The only thing he remembered was his name.
After that, Sebastian took him in, raised him and played the role of the perfect guardian. He no longer brought women back to his home and made it a point to ensure that Ciel received proper education. If there was anything Sebastian failed at, it was probably the fact that Ciel had somehow gotten hooked onto Sebastian's sweets. Every day after school, the boy will travel down to Sebastian's bakery (Le Ciel Et L'enfer) to sample the treats Sebastian had on display. The staff there had long gotten used to the boy's presence, despite the boy's scrutinizing gaze as they went about their usual business. When Sebastian approached Ciel on the subject, he was both surprised and delighted to hear that Ciel wanted to learn more about baking.
And for the first time ever, the genius pâtissier took an apprentice, one of age twelve. Needless to say, it caused a racket.
Now, people were beginning to wonder if Sebastian took Ciel in because he wanted an heir simply because on one hand, there were no other logical conclusions. On the other, no one, not even Sebastian or Ciel had been able to define the relationship between the chef and once-homeless boy. It was obvious that they were more than guardian and child.
The proximity that they shared seemed to hint at something. Ciel trusted no one but Sebastian and Sebastian had no desire to change the boy's antisocial behaviour. In fact, he found himself pleased by the fact that the boy was his and no one else's. The boy listened to no one but the man and clung to him like a koala bear. In all honesty, it was both strange and comforting at the same time.
They shared one bed, sometimes even took baths together and ate from each other plates. It was almost as if they were brothers, but then again, not.
However, there was an invisible barrier between the two- one of which that neither dared to cross. Ciel, no matter how smart, was still young and vulnerable when it came to such situations. Sebastian, on the other hand, felt that it was only appropriate to maintain their relationship at a certain level. After all, no matter how loose his morals were, even he had a limit. (Yeah right)
But he couldn't deny that the child was becoming more eye-catching by the day. Sebastian already knew that in time, Ciel could become just like him.
He stilled again. Okay... that was a discomforting thought.
"I'm ready." Ciel announced as he slipped into the clothes Sebastian lay out. The man blinked a little in surprise but managed to cover it up quickly. Had he been that deep in thought?
With a simple nod of acknowledgment and pet on Duchess' head, the two left their apartment and headed for their respective destinations.
Le Ciel Et L'enfer, Noon
Like always, Sebastian's bakery was filled to the brim with customers, despite it being a weekday. The service it provided was also top-notch. Sebastian wouldn't settle for second best.
William T. Spears was the bakery's manager. With a stern demeanour and no-nonsense attitude, he was the perfect person to be in charge of the battle floor. While Sebastian was busy in the bakery, William was the one that made sure that everything else ran smoothly outside. Truthfully, Sebastian and William didn't share a good relationship. However, both of them respected each other enough to prevent conflicts within the bakery.
Grell Sutcliff was William's assistant. Aside from the fact that he was a little psychotic, gay and had a crush on Sebastian, Grell was a valuable employee. Or rather, he was ironically the only person who seemed to be able to work with William without getting stomach cancer (from stress).
The service staff, albeit a little clumsy and inefficient, was able to charm the customers with their silly antics. Finny, a young part-timer seemed to be the favourite staff member of little children. Maylene, the only female working in the bakery (cum cafe) had the tendency to break several dishes. However, she made it up by attracting a disturbing amount of men into the shop.
Bard was currently Sebastian's only assistant. He was in charge of doing the simple procedures (such as making the whip cream and preparing ingredients) while Sebastian concentrated on making his masterpieces. Although the job seemed rather unappealing, Sebastian had no doubt that it was an integral part of keeping the bakery in functioning order.
Sebastian gingerly placed the blood red cherry on top of his finished product. This month's special was a blackberry strudel that was accompanied by dark chocolate sauce. Customers had a choice of choosing the ice cream that goes with the treat. To give it a winter (seasonal) feel, Sebastian sprinkled icing sugar on it. The sweet tang of the blackberry blended well with the bitter chocolate and it was, of course, another big hit in the bakery.
But he didn't care about that. Not really. Sebastian peeked once again at the clock, noting that it was about time Ciel was dismissed (early) from his finals and was probably making his way towards the bakery.
"Ciel's on his way, isn't he?" Bard mentioned casually while placing a tray filled with unbaked bread into the oven, smirking when his boss stiffened. It seemed that the only thing that could perturb the genius baker was a young boy at the mere age of 12. Bard relished the times when he could catch his boss off guard since, of course, it didn't happen often.
Sebastian frowned at Bard's comment. Really- couldn't his assistant keep his mouth shut for once? "So what if he is?" Sebastian replied, already moving onto the next order as he gave Maylene the finished strudel.
"Well, isn't he starting his apprenticeship today?" Bard asked, pausing in his job to see how Sebastian reacted.
The man in question gave a barely audible sigh. He really didn't wish to think further into the matter. When it came to Ciel, nothing ever went as planned. The boy was a stubborn one. And that, sometimes, wore Sebastian out.
"Yes." Sebastian answered. He really did hope Bard would stop asking questions before Sebastian felt tempted to throw the guy out.
"Are you two still that close?"
"Do you want a pay-cut Bard?"
That shut him up.
Sebastian suppressed a growl at the last question. It was true. Sometimes, it unnerved the man how close they actually were. He had always stopped himself from dwelling further into the issue. But he knew that someday, he would have to deal with it. But until then, he told himself that everything was alright.
Or so he thought.
"Sebastian!" A muffled voice came from behind the kitchen's door. The chef knew that voice anywhere. Soft, girlish but had a rough edge to it. It was Ciel's. Within seconds, the young boy entered the kitchen and headed straight for the chef. He looked antsy. Sebastian had almost thought that something had gone wrong when...
"Grell is bothering me again. Can't you fire it?"
Sebastian blinked once, twice and then muttered under his breath. Grell had always been jealous of Ciel. The man was well aware of the reason. But that didn't matter now. Was it just him or was everyone able to notice the odd relationship between Ciel and Sebastian?
This had really gotta stop.
"I'll talk to him...or her, or whatever. Go change. You do know what all this constitutes, right?" Sebastian said as he stared down at the boy. No matter how close they were, Sebastian wasn't the sort to be biased. If Ciel wanted to master pastry-making, he was going to have to deal with tons of obstacles.
Ciel nodded with confidence, his aquamarine eyes burning with the familiar ambition that Sebastian was well-acquainted with. It never ceased to amaze Sebastian just how strong-willed Ciel was. Despite him being twelve, Ciel seemed much more mature. In fact, he was probably more mature than the majority of his staff.
And that placed Sebastian in a precarious situation. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his emotions bottled. What those exactly were- the man didn't want to know. Why was it so hard to see Ciel as a child who simply needed his protection and guidance, rather than a pretty boy whose beauty paled in comparison to his flings?!
Okay. Time out. He needed to sit down and rethink this.
"Sebastian? Are you alright?" Ciel's voice penetrated his thoughts as Sebastian snapped back to reality. He stilled in shock when he realised Ciel had gotten close- very close while he was deep in thought. (Now why did this keep happening?)
Oh hell.
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A/N: Weeeeee....*cough*