Hello, everyone! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews last chapter! This chapter will be a bit better, I think, now that Sebastian and Ciel aren't hoping that the other dies in a hole.
I hope you enjoy it!
(-)
The next morning, Ciel was stirred from sleep due to the punctilious prodding of a plush pink paw poking playfully against his cheek. Shifting beneath the sheets with a disgruntled groan at being woken, Ciel swatted away the paw gently, rubbing his eye with the other hand and sitting up slowly. The first thing that he immediately noticed as his foggy eyes cleared were his unfamiliar surroundings, along with his snow-white feline companion looking up to him with a cocked furry head and long bushy tail swaying from side to side. Remembering the whirlwind events of the previous day, Ciel inhaled and exhaled a calming breath, smiling a bit as he relaxed into the fact that he was now living the life he'd only dreamed about – but better. He'd actually be able to go into the kitchen and find refrigerators and cabinets filled with fresh food for both himself and Vega instead of the pitifully stocked shelves of stale bread and long-expired cat food that had become the routine for him for years. Smile broadening a bit, Ciel plucked Vega from her spot on his bedspread, cuddling her close and stroking her soft fur as she purred at the attention. He felt diametrically calm. He felt secure. He felt...happy.
Suddenly, a brusque cacophony of music blared from somewhere under his sheets, and Ciel jumped nearly a foot in the air, scrambling to find the source and shut it off before it woke up the entire west hemisphere. Vega was, needless to say, harshly flung aside, making a noise of dishevelment as she scurried from the bed and ran off somewhere into the hallway. Finally, Ciel was able to locate what was apparently his phone, ringing obnoxiously loudly with "Call Me Maybe" blasting at full volume.
When did I even make this damn song my ringtone?! Ciel thought irately as he pressed the 'answer' button, not even bothering to check the caller ID.
"Hello?" Ciel answered somewhat rudely, his tone rough and scratchy from overnight disuse.
"Good morning," greeted a svelte voice, and upon recognition, Ciel's entire being froze, his breath catching in his throat. "Did I wake you? You sound half-asleep."
Ciel stiffly glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table, taking note that it was almost 10:00 in the morning. It wasn't unreasonably late to have just woken up, but it was too late for breakfast, and now he'd have to wait for lunch to roll around before he'd be able to eat, he noted sadly.
Realizing he still had someone waiting on the other line, Ciel shook his head, clearing his throat of morning haziness. "Oh, n-no, sorry, it's just allergies. I get them every year around this time," Ciel lied smoothly. "How are you, Claude? Is everything alright with the inheritance agency?"
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I am well, thank you." Ciel could hear a deep chuckle from the vet, and he felt his face heat up just from the sound of it. "And yes, I've cleared the visit with Undertaker. I was actually calling to ask if you'd considered my offer. I assume you've read the note?"
The blush attractively dusting Ciel's cheeks darkened, and he practically fell out of bed trying to quickly retrieve the jeans he'd been wearing yesterday and subsequently stuffed the note into the pocket of. He dug around in the right and then the left insert, finally finding the crumpled parchment and unfolding it to view the neatly written script. Ciel swallowed down his nerves, seriously considering agreeing to the invitation, but his thoughts suddenly flashed back to the events of the night before, clearly recalling the emotionally exhausting chat with Sebastian and the fact that the lawyer had quite clearly stated that he wasn't fond of Claude in any way, shape, or form. His memory was also kind enough to supply the avuncular manner in which Sebastian had, in his own way, consoled him after Ciel had practically told him the backstory of his tragic lovelife. Blushing hotly, Ciel was caught between a rock and hard place – or, rather, a taciturn vet and a headstrong lawyer. Going over his options briefly, along with the pros and cons of each and the possible outcomes of agreeing or declining, Ciel took a deep breath, flopping back on his bed. He absent-mindedly traced abstract patterns in the designs carving the white ceiling, toying with the idea of pursuing a further relationship with Claude or preserving his... 'acquaintanceship' with Sebastian. In retrospect, neither sounded particularly better than the other, but Ciel was all about immediate self-gratification. He decided to go with the choice that would likely produce the quickest satisfying results.
Turning over to lazily hang off the side of his bed, Ciel smirked. "Yes, I did, and I'd love to go to dinner with you. Do you like seafood?"
(-)
After Ciel had finished making his dinner plans with Claude and had made himself mostly presentable, he ventured down the hallway, yawning quietly and wondering briefly where Vega had run off to. However, as soon as he peeked around the corner of the wooden frame leading to the living room, he paused, noticing that Sebastian was sitting at his large computer system dressed in an attractively-fitting dress shirt and talking to a man dressed equally as nice via Skype. The other man had dark black hair slicked back in a professional manner, a intimidating grimace on his face, and glasses resting beyond his disdainful green eyes. Despite how bitter the man appeared, however, Sebastian seemed completely calm – amused, even. Ciel had apparently caught them in the middle of their conversation, as the man's face screwed into a scowl when Sebastian made a comment about what was being said.
"You really should consider either moving back to Fayetteville or cutting ties with the company completely," the man bit out. "This law firm will go downhill in no time with the current arrangements. That's not to say that I'm not completely capable of handling the position of managing partner in your absence, but we've already lost a client after they caught word that you would no longer be attending hearings in person."
Sebastian only snickered, completely ignoring the second half of he man's scolding. "Aw, William, do you miss me already?"
"Ha, don't make me laugh," the man – apparently 'William' – sneered with no hint of amusement. "If anyone misses you around here, it's Sutcliffe. I simply need you here to secure clients who, for some unfathomable reason, appreciate your work. Regardless, what really needs our attention at the moment is the fact that Patriot Medical Center is being sued for malpractice. Since they exclusively work on soldiers, I have both army investigators and the opposing council breathing down my neck."
"Who's representing?" Sebastian questioned, suddenly back in serious mode, his tone cool and professional.
"Malcolm and Davidson. They're ruthless, and they have a good case," William relayed grimly. A phone was heard ringing the background, and William side-glanced at the caller ID. "I have to take this call. It's the representative from PMC. Just get the briefs done by this afternoon and fax them over to Knox as soon as possible."
"I'll have them done by 2:00. And don't let Davidson intimidate you; he's a tough character, but he's all bark and no bite. Just be sure to look over the files I sent you," Sebastian instructed.
"I don't need you to tell me that. I know how to do my job," William retorted. "And make sure that you don't send those briefs over before 5:30. Knox, Sutcliffe, and I will be out of the office until then, and I don't trust any rookie paralegal to do much more than file the subpoena."
"Alright, I won't," Sebastian agreed, both men nodding in dismissal, and then the screen flashed back to the Skype logo.
With a heavy sigh, Sebastian's straight posture lost its tension, and he ran a hand through his neatly-primped hair. Ciel, who had been observing the conversation from the edge of the corridor, blushed a bit as he observed Sebastian loosen the tie around his neck, unbuttoning the first two clasps of his dress shirt. The man then completely undid his tie, allowing the tassels to hang loosely down his chest, and he let out a heavy breath of the relief as the tight accessory was undone. Ciel watched the little display with fascinated eyes, his blush darkening by the second. However, he quickly snapped himself out of his reverie, mentally slapping himself for watching the lawyer.
What the hell am I doing?! Ciel screamed in his head, straightening and then calmly striding out from his hiding place, acting as if he'd just now made the journey into the living room and hadn't secretly been watching Sebastian sort-of undress.
"Morning," Ciel tossed at the lawyer nonchalantly, striding to the pantry and opening it to find it lined with several different kinds of cereal. He picked the most chocolaty flavor he could find – which just happened to be Cocoa Puffs – and placed the box on the island, at the same time sauntering over to the fridge and getting out some fresh milk. He had previously planned to wait until lunch to eat, but he was just too hungry from not having eaten much the day before to wait three more hours. From the corner of his eye, he could see Sebastian swirl around in his large office chair, and his heart beat a little faster when he saw the lawyer smile slightly.
"Good morning," Sebastian returned the greeting, standing from his position at the desk and walking at a calm pace to stop in front of Ciel. Ciel willed his face to stay room temperature and glanced up at the man as Sebastian's smirk broadened. "Did you just wake up? You do realize that it's almost 10:00."
Ciel's eyes narrowed; the previous tension between them, he realized bitterly, hadn't completely gone away. "No, I didn't. I've been awake since 7:30."
He watched as Sebastian raised a brow, obviously not buying it. Regardless, he didn't comment, and instead pushed himself off the granite counter, heading towards a cabinet adjacent to the dining room. Opening it and reaching inside, Sebastian pulled out a large black leather case, snapping the cabinet shut and then walking towards the couch. Sitting down and placing the case on the coffee table, Sebastian leaned back, sighing.
"I'm certainly not looking forward to going over these briefs," Sebastian commented offhandedly, not exactly directing it at Ciel but still leaving it open-ended for discussion.
Deciding that now would be a good time to get back at the man for all his teasing, Ciel made a sound of amusement as he poured the milk over the chocolaty puffs. "What, can't handle them, Mr. Big Shot Lawyer?"
Sebastian's lips stretched into a grin, and Ciel could immediately tell that his challenge had been accepted. "Ha, I close billion dollar deals for breakfast. This is child's play. I'll ground Malcolm and Davidson's names into the dirt so hard they'll be lucky to get hired to represent a fast food company."
Smirking as well, Ciel paced across the living room until he was directly in front of Sebastian, reaching out a delicate hand and running his thumb across Sebastian's cheek with a light amount of pressure. "Excuse me, but you had a bit of 'lawyer' on your face."
However, instead of the amused reaction he'd expected to receive, Sebastian seemed a bit shocked, and it was only then that Ciel had realized what he'd just done.
"Uh...sorry," Ciel supplied unhelpfully, staring like a deer in headlights into the dark red eyes of his house-mate. Only about a foot separated the two, and Ciel subconsciously considered the fact that if he'd only lean in a little bit...
Wait a minute... Shit! What am I doing?! Ciel once again berated himself, tearing himself from the intense gaze of the lawyer and jerking back so that they were at a respectable distance from one another. Not daring to look back, Ciel scurried quickly to the island, grabbing his bowl of now-soggy cereal and retreating back to his room, leaving a dazed Sebastian to mull over what just transpired.
That was... interesting, Sebastian thought, smirking despite himself and then gathering a few papers from his case to begin the long process of reading over and approving each and every document.
(-)
That was... way too fucking close for comfort, Ciel thought embarrassedly, violently chewing his cereal. Yes, violently. His teeth were gnashing together every time he bit down, and he was sure that his enamel was wearing away by the second. He just wasn't sure how to handle what he'd just done, so he reacted the only way he knew how – with denial and acrimony.
In hindsight, it probably wasn't as major of a debacle as he made it seem. But, in his point of view, this was a pretty big deal. Ciel hadn't willingly touched anyone since... well, since he could remember. Sure, he'd hugged Lizzy before he left, but she was familiar and comfortable and basically the only friend he'd ever had besides Soma. That was different. But even from the simple action of laying a finger on Sebastian... the digit still tingled from the sensation of the lawyer's marble-smooth cheek rubbing against it.
Subconsciously, Ciel clenched his hand into a fist, running his thumb across his index finger as it almost seemed to burn. He had no idea why he was so shaken up by this. Sebastian had probably already forgotten about it.
Great, now he'd made things awkward again. Next time he saw Sebastian, he'd just have to act like nothing had even happened.
(-)
"I'm sorry about earlier." Well, so much for that plan. The moment Ciel had stepped back into the living room to return his breakfast bowl, he'd taken one look at Sebastian bent over his work and his resolve had instantaneously crumbled into nothing. He really hated himself sometimes. "I just got a little carried away with the... Are you even listening?"
Ciel huffed indignantly when he concluded that he was being completely ignored. Sebastian had a finger crooked on his chin, seeming to be deep in thought and totally focused on the document he was reading. Suddenly, however, Sebastian's eyes snapped up to meet Ciel's, and he immediately lowered the papers, seeming to be surprised that the boy was standing there.
"Oh, sorry, were you saying something?" Sebastian questioned, blinking as he noticed the boy's crossed arms and miffed expression. Ciel rolled his eyes.
"No, it wasn't important," Ciel brushed off, secretly thankful that Sebastian hadn't heard the lame apology. Who knew being totally ignored had its advantages? From the corner of his eye, Ciel scanned the paper in Sebastian's hand. "What are you working on?"
Sebastian briefly considered pursuing the conversation, but decided against it, too preoccupied with work to waste time arguing with a boy who couldn't be argued with. Instead, he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair – it was starting to become a nervous habit. "Well, this statement has to coincide with this one to be approved and submitted for the case, but so far, I can't find any inconsistencies that could be used for the argument in our client's favor. I've been staring at this useless piece of paper for the past half hour trying to compare evidence, but I think I've hit a dead end."
Humming in thought, Ciel snatched the papers from Sebastian's hand, his big blue eye and slightly purple iris rapidly looking over each and every phrase outlined in different colored ink throughout the document. Sebastian initially started to protest, but he was curious to see what Ciel would be able to do with the information. It wouldn't hurt to have a second – while perhaps untrained – eye look over it, he supposed.
"What about this?" Ciel suddenly thrust the papers in Sebastian's face a few moments later, indicating with a slender pointer finger the line he was referring to. "In this one, the administrator of PMC makes the statement that 'the affairs taking place within the corporation are given an algorithm based on the directors of the state, not the overseer of the individual units.' But in this one, the Board of Office and State Affairs claims that 'the procedures carried out within each establishment are controlled and regulated by the chief of service and are only able to be manipulated if a complaint is filed against the overseer of the unit and is cleared by the State Official's Office.'"
"Yes, but both implicitly say that if a complaint is filed, it has to go through and be cleared by the state."
"Yes, but the statement recorded by the B.O.S.A. says that it's the duty of the administrator in charge of individual units to regulate affairs after having received the outline from the state while the PMC representative says that it's their job to take orders from the state directly."
"...Hm, I suppose you're right," Sebastian conceded, scrutinizing the documents for a moment and realizing that, shockingly, Ciel was correct. How had he missed that? "Nice work, Phantomhive."
At the praise, Ciel smirked, feeling accomplished. He'd just done the job of a high-class lawyer while at the same time one-upping Sebastian. "No problem. You must be losing your touch; maybe William was right, you should move back. After all, it's only been one day and you're already missing such important details. Where will you be in a few months?"
Sebastian was prepared to retort with a snarky comeback, but instead, something Ciel said gave him pause. Throwing Ciel a skeptical look, Sebastian could feel a chuckle bubbling in his throat. "How do you know who William is?"
Well, there goes the feeling of accomplishment. To have out-lawyered a lawyer and then to have such a careless slip of the tongue... Ciel wanted to slap himself. But more importantly, how would he get himself out of this? Tell Sebastian that he'd been eavesdropping on his conversation? And what explanation could he even give for having done so?
Well, fuck, Ciel cursed in his mind, his mouth opening and closing multiple times with no sound coming out other than a few unintelligible mutterings. Meanwhile, the grin on Sebastian's face grew to the point where his pearly white canines were visible.
"Were you spying on me?" Sebastian asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer but hoping to hear it straight from the boy's mouth.
"Of course not!" Ciel blurted, finally able to manage a understandable response. He blushed a cute pink hue, his arms crossing haughtily. "I-I've just heard you mention him before."
Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle a bit; it was adorable watching Ciel try to make up an excuse. As cute as it was, though, he decided not to pursue the matter. He knew that it would only end in a fight, and he rather liked being on speaking terms with the bluenette. Ciel was intelligent, undeniably cute, quite humorous, and fairly easy to get along with once you understood his odd way of expressing himself.
"Ah, you're right, nevermind," Sebastian amended seamlessly, and Ciel seemed to calm down considerably after being freed from suspicion. "Anyway, do you think you could help me remember to fax these papers over to the firm at around 4:30? William will have an aneurysm if I don't send them in on time."
Thankful for the change of topic, Ciel nodded quickly, his eyes lighting up as an idea occurred to him. "Sure. Wait here, I have a system that I've always used to remember stuff that we could use, just to be sure. I'll be right back." Sebastian watched curiously as Ciel trotted down the hallway towards his bedroom and then reemerged a few minutes later, a bright blue ribbon clutched in his right palm. "Hold out your hand," Ciel commanded, taking a seat beside the man and waiting for Sebastian to comply. A smile threatening to surface, Sebastian raised his hand as Ciel had instructed, looking on somewhat endearingly as the boy gently wrapped the brightly-colored ribbon around his ring finger, tying the knot into an elegant bow. After making sure the loops were taut, Ciel sat back, admiring the way the ribbon nicely contrasted against Sebastian's attractively pale skin. "There. Now, every time you see the ribbon, you'll remember that you need to send the files." A cute half-smile on his face, Ciel placed his hands in his criss-crossed lap, looking to Sebastian for his approval. To his delight, Sebastian had a warm expression on his face as well, his eyes soft and his smile genuine.
"Thanks, it's perfect," Sebastian chuckled as he moved his finger back and forth, the pretty blue ribbon fluttering with each sway. "I hope I can remember what the ribbon is for, though."
With a roll of his eyes, Ciel caught sight of the clock hanging on the wall above Sebastian's computer system, realizing that it was almost 3:00 in the afternoon; in the back of his mind, Ciel remembered that he had scheduled to leave for dinner with Claude at 5:00. Rising from his spot on the couch, Ciel decided that he should probably start getting ready for his appointment. He almost hated to go, what with how well he and Sebastian were getting along now, but he had made plans, and he was nothing if not a man of his word.
"Good luck with that, then," Ciel commented as he walked towards his room. Feeling the tension in his back from the position he had been in, Ciel stretched one arm over his head and one behind his neck, letting out a soft groan and then a content sigh of relief as his muscles unwound. Glancing back over his shoulder and blushing a bit when he noticed Sebastian's eyes trained on him, Ciel muttered, "I'm going to grab a quick shower. I'll see you later."
"Okay, thanks again for the help," Sebastian returned, gathering his papers and placing them in a neat stack to fax later as he subconsciously watched Ciel disappear down the hallway. Sighing in content and leaning back on the couch, Sebastian raised his hand to look at the finger Ciel had tied the ribbon around, twirling the soft material between his digits. Smiling fondly, Sebastian chuckled to himself and shoved his briefcase beside the couch with a careful push of his dress shoes, at the same time lazily letting his eyes slide shut. With no more work to be done, Sebastian felt serenely relaxed and completely free of stress. He couldn't remember a time when he was so completely at ease.
Before long, Sebastian had lulled into a calm slumber, subconsciously running his thumb across the silky azure fabric of the thin ribbon tied loosely around his ring finger as he fell asleep.
(-)
And there you have it! A bit more of a development between Sebastian and Ciel, but now that Ciel has made plans with Claude, will it all be for nothing?
Of course not. That's not what you signed up for.
Hint for the next chapter:
Ciel goes on his 'date' with Claude, and a major character makes their debut! Can you guess who?
Notes:
1. A reader sent me a PM pointing out an extremely stupid mistake I've made regarding the character's ages, so as of now, Ciel is only 16. Trust me, it's important.
2. I also got a PM requesting a 'description' of Ciel's appearance, since I've upped his age a few years. Just picture Ciel exactly as he appears in the anime/manga, only a couple of inches taller. I hate even altering his age, so I certainly won't be changing his appearance in the slightest. (He's too adorable to change :))
3. I am so sorry for being so incompetent about keeping up with consistencies throughout the story. I write sporadically, so I can't always remember what I've already written, so please excuse any mistakes and feel free to point them out so I can fix them.
4. Ciel's cursing may be annoying, and I apologize to anyone who finds it too offensive, but it, too, is an important little side-plot. Just bear with me!
