Hey guys so I'm back after like a month with a chapter I actually wrote recently just for you guys but with no major editing because I'm lazy and don't have an editor~~ Anywho so sorry this chapter is so short (the last two chapters were hella long though like don't start expecting that shit from me)but I had to cut it off because the next chapter reveals some heavy stuff that I still need to double check. I'm basically just winging this story which is really weird and scary for me since usually I take like months to plan and write a story out before even considering putting it up. I'm also not sure what to do with the final pairing because I was going to just default to SebaCiel but people are asking for CielxAlois (which is what I wanted originally) so I'm really confused what to do now. You should definitely tell me in a review what you think because that would really help. Ok I'll stop talking now... Enjoy~
"Sebastian, I don't think this is a very good idea." Claude stated as the pair left the cafeteria.
"What isn't a good idea?" Sebastian asked, the annoyance clear in his tone.
"The… um… the kiss." He practically whispered the last part.
"Why not?" Sebastian asked, trying to sound genuinely concerned but in reality he didn't give a shit about what his step-brother thought most of the time.
"Well, I mean, he's just a freshman, and a boy at that. And a loser, too. I heard nobody likes him." Clade stated.
"Oh, really?" Sebastian said with a little bit of sarcasm as he remembered how Ciel's friends had practically tackled him in the cafeteria.
"Yeah, think about what that will do to your reputation. You'll be the laughing stock of the whole school." Claude pressed on.
"Well, it's not like Madame Red hasn't made us do it before, so I don't see the big problem… Unless you're jealous." Sebastian poked.
"No, of course not!" Claude answered a little too quickly.
"Then there is no problem here." Sebastian stated as they continued walking to their next class.
Ciel had rigorously studied his lines all week and even practiced with Tanaka a couple times, practically neglecting his actual school work. So, it would only be reasonable to assume he was a little nervous and showed up to rehearsal early. There were twenty minutes between the last bell ringing and the start of rehearsal but he had made it there in three. He was standing in the huge auditorium all by himself so he decided to cross the rows of seat and make his way to center stage. He felt a pinch of stage fright in his chest when he got there as he tried to imagine a full house with a spotlight on him. It wasn't normal for a freshman to get a lead role so he knew that there was a lot of pressure on him. He almost wanted to crawl under a rock for a little bit or ask to switch to crew but he refrained. He was a Phantomhive after all.
"Fascinating isn't it?" Ciel jumped and turned around to see Sebastian standing a couple feet behind him with a smirk on his face. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"Go away." Ciel ordered, returning to face his imaginary audience.
There was a silence and when Ciel decided to see if the male was still there, he was surprised to see him magically standing right next to him. Sebastian was staring out into the auditorium too, probably at his own make-believe audience, and there was a slight grin gracing his lips. Ciel tried to look back at the audience but found the sound of the older male's breaths more entertaining.
"You know that feeling you get when you perform? Adrenaline mixed with a pinch of stage fright and that sense that you're on top of the world?" Sebastian asked turning to face Ciel who was in complete shock. "It's just magical, isn't it?"
"How do you know that?" Ciel murmured, barely audible as he looked up at Sebastian. No one has ever understood that before. Or at least no one would ever admit to it. Especially not the high and mighty Sebastian or anyone who got a lead role. Those people were meant to handle their parts with confidence, which is one of the reasons why they landed the part, and Sebastian just obliterated that wall when it was only their second time talking. But it didn't feel wrong. It felt like it was almost something expected. Like he could have said the same thing back with trust in his co-actor. All in all it was a weird experience, but he couldn't manage to tear his gaze.
"Sebastian! Can you come help me for a second?" Someone yelled from behind the curtains backstage.
"Coming!" Sebastian yelled back, his eyes never once wavering from where they were locked with Ciel's.
Then, with a nod of his head, Sebastian was gone, and Ciel was alone.
His body relaxed and he released a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. What had just happened? He had hated this Sebastian person after being called a brat by him and learning that every person at school practically worshiped the ground he walked on. He knew that Sebastian thought he could treat Ciel as scum but he was not about to let him. But then, this happened. The man was deep and understood Ciel's feelings before he even explained them. Was it all a game or had Ciel truly had the wrong impression? Who knows? There was no time to think because at that moment one of the auditorium doors flung open and Madame Red strolled in with a student who appeared to be a boy but had long red hair and heels and was talking non-stop.
"Oh, Ciel, you're here early!" She said, interrupting the other student. "I hope you've got your lines down because today there will be no scripts allowed on stage."
Ciel gulped a little but nodded; relieved he had most of it memorized.
"Well since you're here, why don't we go ahead and start." She said, taking a seat at a desk in the middle of the auditorium. "Sing the chorus to Breaking Free, that song must be perfect. Oh, and Grell, go find Sebastian so he can sing too." She told the red-head who had taken the seat next to her.
"Oh, of course, Madame." Grell answered but stopped when Sebastian and Claude walked onto the stage.
"Oh never mind then, but could you be a dear and get me a coffee? And Claude I seem to have forgotten my script in the classroom, how about you go fetch it for me?" She asked. The two complied and left.
"Well now that they're gone," she said once the auditorium doors were shut again.
"Sing."
Ciel sighed as he walked out of the auditorium. What had just happened to him? Sebastian, when he was singing, was absolutely spectacular and his eyes managed to lock onto Ciel's with a warm gentle look. It was like he actually loved Ciel as much as Troy loved Gabriella and he almost forgot his entrance because of it.
"Ciel!" said boy groaned as a peppy Alois attached himself to his arm. "Wasn't that just a great rehearsal? Oh my God I'm so excited for the next one! And did you see Claude? He is just so amazing at acting it was like he really loved me."
Ciel was shocked at his words, remembering his own thoughts, but covered it easily.
"You know it's just acting, right?" He scoffed.
"Yeah but it's still fun to pretend." The blonde boy beamed.
Ciel just rolled his eyes as they walked out of the school. They started the long walk home in silence and Ciel instinctively slid his headphones in. Alois was babbling on about the rehearsal and his scenes with Claude and how exciting high school was and Ciel was pretending to ignore him but still kept the volume low enough that he could hear the blonde boy. He was actually semi interested to learn about Alois's scenes with Claude and whether they had made the same connection as he had with Sebastian.
He was only halfway through the first song when a shiny black convertible drove by them. Ciel didn't know much about cars but it looked expensive and the owners had taken advantage of its lavish features and kept the roof down to enjoy the warm August weather. They stopped at a stop light just ahead of them and Ciel recognized Claude driving and Sebastian in the passenger seat staring at his phone.
"Oh, shit, it's them." Alois pointed out, trying to hide behind Ciel and slowing down his pace dramatically so they would take longer to reach the crosswalk.
"So, what?" Ciel asked, pushing Alois away from him.
"So, we're losers that have to walk home because we can't drive yet. Like this is so embarrassing." He stated.
"Alois you're fifteen. It's not like you could be driving even if you wanted to. I'm pretty sure they're aware of that." Ciel said as they reached the crosswalk and pressed the button for them to cross.
He tried to act cool and like he didn't care but, as if he heard them, Sebastian looked up from the car and locked eyes with Ciel. His body stiffened. There was no smiling, no waving, no nodding, or any form of greeting. But centuries later, the light finally turned green and the step-brothers drove off.
When they arrived at Ciel's house ten minutes later, he still felt phased by the strange encounter. Never had he felt so intimidated by someone before. He actually felt like he wasn't good enough, like he had to impress this mysterious man, and it was something he had never experienced before. He could easily say he very much hated the feeling.
Ciel lived in a small, one-story, yellow house with green hedges and a white picket fence on the edge of a road with no neighborhood but instead trees for company. Even though he had plenty of money with the amount that was left for him in his parent's will, Tanaka still insisted they lived modestly with just enough space to live comfortably. Because of that, though, Tanaka didn't work. He lived off this and his retirement fund so he took extra care keeping the house in pristine condition and acting as if he was Ciel's own personal butler half the time. He never really knew his grandfather that well before his parents had died and it still felt strange living with him even after all these years.
"Why do you always come here, anyway?" Ciel asked as they walked into his room and threw their backpacks down. "Your place seems like it'd be a lot more entertaining."
"My house is so boring." Alois answered, referring to the three-story mansion he called home. Whether Alois was wealthier than Ciel's parents he would never know, but Alois was definitely more used to the luxurious lifestyle his foster parents had given him than Ciel would ever be. "Plus my parents won't make us snacks like Tanaka will."
They plopped down onto Ciel's twin bed, Alois resting his head on the back of Ciel's legs as his feet dangled off the edge. They waited like that, Ciel on his stomach staring out the window to his right and Alois on his back staring at the ceiling, before Tanaka came into check on them.
"Are you boy's alright? How was school?" Tanaka wondered from the other side of the door.
"Good." They both said in unison.
"Would you boy's like some snacks?" He asked.
"Yes, please." They responded together again. And with that they listened to the shuffling of Tanaka's feet down the hallway to the kitchen. It was funny how they had already established a routine when it was only the third week of school. They lied there for a couple more moments before Alois rolled over onto his elbows and spoke.
"Ciel, what do you think of Sebastian?" Alois asked, staring into Ciel's eyes while the blue haired boy focused on the tree growing outside his window. "Like, honestly."
They sat like that for a few more moments with Ciel still not answering or making eye contact. He was used to being ignored by the younger boy, but he had asked Ciel a direct question. And an important one too. He can't just brush that off.
"Ciel!" Alois exclaimed, trying to get his attention.
Ciel finally decided to glance over at the other boy so to at least offer him some relief. The truth was that Ciel was unsure how to answer Alois's question. What did he think of Sebastian?
"Well, what do you think of Claude?" He asked.
"Stop avoiding the question." Alois teased even though he was starting to get worried. What if Ciel actually like Sebastian? I mean he was hella hot and rocking that whole dark and mysterious thing. He and Ciel did seem like they'd suit each other really well. "You know I think Claude is just absolutely gorgeous and dreamy but meant to be admired at a distance."
"Admired…" Ciel repeated, trailing off in his thoughts. Maybe he just admired Sebastian's artistic talents? That seemed logical, right?
"Yes, I admire him. But what about you and Sebastian? Do you admire him? Or is it more…" Alois probed. He was trying to sound suggestive to uncover Ciel's true feelings but he also tried to seem supportive. He wasn't sure though if he was doing this to be a good friend who supported Ciel's decision or as a cover to try and mask his own feelings.
"Honestly, I think Sebastian is just a giant thorn in my side and I can't wait to finish this damn musical and never have to see him again." Ciel explained as he sat up and grabbed his backpack off the floor and onto the bed. He started rummaging through it and pulling out homework to try and avoid Alois's knowing stare. He knew that the blonde boy could read him easier then he let on and he knew that he was measuring the truth behind Ciel's statement. It was true that Sebastian was causing more problems in Ciel's life then solving them, which he classified as annoying and useless, so the first part of that statement was true. But what about the second part?
Please review! Your words keep me motivated :DDD
