Lesson Nine: Smile Last Miles
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When Soma came back ashore, he grabbed Ciel's hand again. The latter was about to object, when he was hushed by the Indian boy, who pointed at Grell. It appeared that he'd turned onto his back again and had fallen asleep.
"Grell is a deep sleeper," Soma hissed into Ciel's ear. He beamed as he picked up a couple of shells from the sand and walked over to the snoozing redhead, placing the shells over his nipples. Ciel struggled to stifle a chuckle.
Agni prepared to intervene, but was stopped by Sebastian holding a finger to his lips. The black-haired one even joined in, finding some seaweed that had dried in a 'U' shape and placing it on Grell's stomach, before standing back to admire the decorations, which looked ridiculously like a smiley face. Ciel contributed by removing his sunglasses and arranging small twigs to look like whiskers on Grell's face.
Flustered, Agni looked to Ash for help, but the white-haired host only watched the antics for a short moment before quite happily returning to his sketch.
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"It's five o'clock," said Ash quietly, nudging Grell's cheek with his pencil.
Grell mumbled something incomprehensible, then yawned and stretched and sat up. When he did, he noticed the seaside paraphernalia fall off his body. Then, he noticed that his skin had become an interesting shade of pink, minus the pale patches where the shells and seaweed and twigs had been.
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The other hosts were gathering food from the holiday house when a shrill screech pierced the calm air. Joker almost dropped his things in fright, and Agni did drop his things and made a dash to the beach where the sound came from. Soma, Ciel and Sebastian merely exchanged knowing looks.
"I suppose I should have a camera ready." Sebastian said to himself.
When they joined the others, they found Grell on his knees, arms flailing. He was most definitely crying, in his typical Drama Queen manner. Agni did not seem prepared for this kind of crisis, judging by the way he awkwardly hovered around the redhead, timidly telling him everything would be okay (and trying not to step in the puddle of tears). Ash, on the other hand, sat right next to the wailing Grell as if he was not there at all.
Sebastian put down the bags of food he was carrying and extracted a camera from his pocket, promptly taking a few stealthy photos of Grell in distress.
"WHO DID THIS?" Grell demanded, gingerly poking at his pink, toasted skin.
Everyone fell silent. Ciel kept his lips shut – he wasn't about to admit anything and have the red-haired rapist on his case. Soma, however, was having a hard time stopping himself from snickering. Grell caught onto this immediately and pointed his finger at the tanned boy.
"It was YOU, wasn't it!"
Soma let out the laughter he'd been holding back, saying he couldn't resist. "Even Ciel and Sebastian had a go!"
The redheaded diva's world crashed around his ears. He swung his head to give Sebastian a look of betrayal. The latter shifted his weight uncomfortably, discreetly hiding his camera. At least, now that Grell was preoccupied with Sebastian, he wouldn't notice Ciel. Grell grabbed the collar of Sebastian's open shirt, demanding to know how Sebastian could do such a thing, then when he got little more than a polite smile from the black-haired one, he directed his rage at Ash, who had been sitting beside him the whole time and let it all happen.
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Grell emerged from his tent, clothed in a bright red singlet that covered his embarrassing tan-lines, and rejoined the rest of the Host Club, who were being briefed on tonight's dinner. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about the whisker patterns on his face. When he sat down next to Ciel outside the tents, a sound akin to a snicker came from the boy. Grell blushed madly, though it was hard to tell, and shot him an enraged look.
"What?" challenged Ciel, "I thought you liked the colour red? Now your skin matches your hair – isn't that nice?"
The older host responded by pouting and mumbling something about respecting one's elders.
Meanwhile, Ash and Sebastian announced the plans for dinner. Between them and the other hosts were an assortment of vegetables in sacks, several types of meat, wrapped and sitting on ice, and a variety of bottles and containers of seasoning.
"Tonight's dinner will be ragout." said Sebastian, "Ash and I decided on this dish as it requires minimal culinary skill, meaning that everybody will be able to participate in the preparations." He smiled and looked straight at Ciel, making no attempts at subtlety. Ciel merely grumbled.
For the sake of efficiency, the club divided into two groups; one to prepare the meat and the other to prepare the vegetables. Arranging the groups was a rather simple task, since Soma, Grell and Ciel had all paled at the sight of the sizeable cuts of lamb as well as the pile of whole game fowl.
Ciel wasn't entirely sure what to do when the three of them were faced with the bags of vegetables. He'd never cooked his own meal before – he had barely ever held a cooking utensil. Luckily for him, Ash directed them to their tasks. Grell was to prepare the tomatoes and herbs, Soma the carrots and celery, and Ciel the onions and potatoes. While the redhead went ahead and began to rinse and chop the tomatoes, Soma and Ciel merely gaped at their vegetable sacks. Grell tsked. "Such spoiled children, you nobles are~ Never touched a veggie peeler in your life, I'll bet."
The one-eyed boy took offense and called him names. Dear Soma, on the other hand, cocked his head to the side and innocently wondered, "What's a 'veggie peeler'?"
Finding himself a spot in the sand, Ciel sat down and plucked a potato from the sack in front of him to examine it. There were still traces of soil clumped across the skin – how ugly, he thought, scowling. He hesitantly picked at the dirt with his index finger till the tuber in his hand was clean. Next he took the vegetable peeler from the box of utensils (he felt somewhat proud of himself for being able to correctly guess which one it was) and began to peel away awkwardly at the skin. His hand trembled – this was harder than he thought it would be. Each time he dug the peeler into the potato, only a short length of the skin would peel away. It was excruciating. Curiously though, he hadn't heard a single word of complaint from Prince Soma. Surely by now his classmate would have started blabbering away about how difficult this was. When he looked over at Soma's progress, he found the Indian boy watching in awe as Agni peeled the carrots and removed the veins from the stalks of celery at lightning speed.
Ciel twitched. Soma was cheating!
"Agni is the best!" chirped the boy. Life was easy with a faithful butler at your side. Agni blushed and smiled at the compliment, as Ciel continued fuming, unbeknownst to them.
Five potatoes (and forty minutes) later, Joker came along to inspect Ciel's work. He looked into the bucket of water reserved for the peeled potatoes and began to laugh.
Ciel grew irritated again. "What's so funny?"
Joker fished for one of the potatoes in the bucket. He then grabbed an unpeeled one and showed both to Ciel. The peeled potato was thin as a sheet of paper in contrast to the unpeeled one. "It's like the skin is thicker than the potato itself!" chuckled the ginger-haired one. Ciel went red at the remark and tossed the potato in his hand into the water with a grunt, wincing when the impact made a splash that was big enough to sprinkle him too. His upperclassman smiled tenderly at his cute mannerisms and took the peeler from him, the bony hand brushing against his in the faintest way. Joker made a fleeting sideways glance toward Ciel, only to find that the boy was only wearing his trademark scowl.
"Let me show you," said Joker as he grabbed a potato from the sack. His bony fingers looked as though they could break from the speed at which he deftly peeled the tuber. Ciel watched vacantly, not quite comprehending what he was being shown. Thank heavens he would never be expected to cook his own meals ever again.
Ciel joined in again after watching the ginger-haired boy for a while. In the next few minutes, one, then two, and then three potatoes fell into the water out of Joker's hand, peeled cleanly and quickly, whilst Ciel was still struggling with his first. The grey-haired boy was in awe. Noticing this, Joker laughed and ruffled his hair playfully. "If you don't work quickly, you'll never get to eat dinner…and you won't grow either."
Ciel winced at the comment. "I'd rather eat desserts anyway," he replied quietly.
"You like sweets?" asked Joker, pleasantly surprised.
The earl blushed and looked away, holding on tightly to his half-peeled potato. "Maybe." he mumbled.
With his upperclassman's help, the potatoes were finally peeled. Agni had long since finished Soma's share of the work, and the dark-haired prince was now tumbling around in the sand. He pranced over to Ciel and Joker and laughed. "You're so slow, Ciel! I finished aaaaaaaaages ago!"
"Agni finished ages ago," corrected Ciel. "You never started."
Soma ignored the hostility in Ciel's voice and continued. "You still have to chop the onions!" he pointed to the small mound of onions – dirty, unpeeled and un-chopped. "But don't worry! Since I finished my jobs quickly and had lots of time to play around, I suppose I could lend you a hand."
The earl groaned.
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Dinner was served later than expected due to the time it took for Ciel to prepare the vegetables. The Host Club sat around the portable stove with bowls of ragout and garlic bread (which Sebastian had prepared while waiting for the vegetables), making light conversation about how wonderful the meal tasted, while Soma complained of how much his eyes hurt from cutting onions.
"Ah~ Sebastian's cooking is perfect as always." said Grell in a sing-song. "Too bad someone ruined it." Accusing green eyes fell upon Ciel.
"My peeling the potatoes slowly has nothing to do with the way the food tastes." deflected Ciel, pointedly ignoring the redhead's glare and eating his dinner.
"I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS!" Grell's bowl of ragout sloshed about as he made animated gestures towards his sunburned cat-face.
Enraged, Ciel argued, "How could you say that was my all fault! That idiot joined in too!"
"How dare you call my Sebastian an idiot, you little runt!"
"My height has nothing to do with this, you weirdo!"
Agni leaned over and gave the is-this-really-okay look to Sebastian and Ash, and in response they nonchalantly reassured him that all was well with the world and continued to eat. The Indian one was still unsatisfied, though he knew there was little he could do to stop the bickering.
All noise was interrupted, however, with a melodic strum of the guitar.
Joker beamed as he played a simple tune. Ciel and Grell forgot what they were so mad about and turned their full attention to the ginger-haired one, whose smile always seemed a little bit brighter when he was entertaining someone, whether it was with a piece on the guitar, a cup of tea, or a card trick. The hosts finished their evening meal to a blazing sunset and a serenade played by Joker's expert hands.
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Patting Ciel on the back gently, Joker said to him in an almost-whisper, "Keep smiling."
He was given the smile he sought in reply – the smile he'd seen Ciel give to many an empty-headed, sparkly-eyed client. Such charm and charisma radiated from the simple upward curling of those lips, the world seemed to stop. Joker found himself admitting that Ciel's clients had every reason to look empty-headed and sparkly-eyed once he flashed that smile at them. He walked back to his tent to pack his guitar away, but he could barely walk in a straight line, intoxicated by Ciel's dazzling smile.
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What a weird request. Honestly, Ciel wished that Joker would stop telling him to smile – it had ceased being heartwarming after the second time he'd said it. But he certainly wouldn't leave unless he got what he wanted, so Ciel mustered up some strength and offered a rather pathetic smile indeed. It was a smile he would not even give one of the girls from the club (because if he did show such a poor standard, Ash and Sebastian would make sure he'd never sleep peacefully ever again). He held it for a while, jaw aching, until Joker smiled back, happily. He seemed to fall for it. Sometimes, Ciel thought he was even more naïve than Soma. After he watched the ginger one walk to the tents, the young earl returned his attention to the task at hand.
It was hard to smile after one had been commanded to wash the dishes.
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He grimaced at the sight of his wrinkly fingers as he lay on his back. Actually, he couldn't see much in the dark, but he knew those pruny lines were there, and that alone disgusted him. He brought one hand close to his face, detecting the smell of lemon-scented detergent that still clung to his fingers. Out of the darkness, a hand came towards him from his left side, narrowly missing his face. Ciel sighed as Soma stirred a little, his sleeping bag rustling. Preoccupied with his own thoughts, he had ignored the Indian boy until his excited babbling became mere snores. Ciel had stupidly hoped that the prince would be less annoying when asleep, only to find that Soma snored louder than he spoke and fidgeted more in his sleep than when he was awake. From his right side came a smooth chuckle.
Startled, Ciel whipped his head towards the sound, and made eye contact with Sebastian, who stared at him with that unnervingly pleasant smile.
"Are you finding it difficult to sleep, little master?" Sebastian purred, in a voice as captivating as liquid gold.
Ciel turned his head back to its original position so as not to look the black-haired one straight in the eye. Oh, what he wouldn't give to not be stuck in a tent with these two. "I've had a bad day."
His tent-buddy made a muffled sound similar to a snicker. "It has been most taxing on you," he whispered, "Though you appeared to have enjoyed yourself to no small extent."
The one-eyed boy found his lips pursing involuntarily. He'd told himself once that enjoyment and happiness were unfamiliar, unattainable luxuries – even for all his wealth. To have fun – no, that wouldn't do. Not for a Phantomhive. Not for him. He cast out the warm feeling he'd had earlier that day, and the fond memories he had created with the other hosts. Misery and obligation were his lot in life. With only a short pause, he argued, "I had no choice but to pretend I was enjoying myself, or those two would pester me until I did."
"Of course, little master." said the black-haired one, obviously just humouring him.
He watched Sebastian smile in the corner of his eye.
"However, it wouldn't hurt to smile wholeheartedly once in a while. Your friends would like that very much."
He failed to mask his surprise. "Friends?" he said, scoffing. What a novel thought.
In the fleeting moment during which Sebastian remained silent, a faint pattering was heard; raindrops on the roof of the tent. At first, only one or two drops fell every now and then – Ciel silently counted ten seconds in between each – and soon, it escalated to a torrential downpour.
Ciel jolted upright in his sleeping bag, his heart racing.
"Oh dear," said Sebastian casually, not even moving from his reclining position, "The weather forecast certainly failed to predict this."
There was a flash of light, and then the deafening sound of thunder rang out, like the cracking of a whip the size of the universe. The young earl started, and the beginnings of a cold sweat formed on his brow. He reached over and violently shook Soma, who, despite all the racket, was still sleeping obliviously.
The prince stirred in his sleep, but when thunder and lightning struck again he too bolted up.
"Well, this is most inconvenient." Sebastian mused, clasping his hands together over his chest as he rolled onto his back.
"Inconvenient?" spluttered Ciel. "What if the storm tears up the tents! We can't stay out here!"
Soma nodded fearfully, on the brink of tears.
Then, Agni entered their tent, soaking wet from the rain. "Ash suggests we pack up the tents and move indoors." he calmly informed the trio.
Ciel inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. It was about time.
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There was not much to be heard besides the crackling of the hearth and the gentle bubbling of the kettle in the kitchen. The storm outside seemed like a distant memory now in this warm and cozy lounge. Though the fire unnerved him a little, Ciel made himself as comfortable as possible on the plush rug close to the fireplace, leaning back against the arm of the couch behind him. Gathered with him were Soma, Agni and Grell – Ash, Sebastian and Joker busied themselves in the kitchen.
Joker watched as Sebastian prepared a simple crepe batter. The finesse he displayed while carrying out such simple tasks as breaking an egg or sifting flour – it was most enviable. He flicked through the recipe book as he waited for the kettle to boil and his eyes widened as they settled on one recipe. Sweet-toothed Ciel would like this a lot better than Sebastian's plain crepes.
"Joker, the kettle's boiled." said Ash, stealing him away from his daydream. They prepared mugs of tea and hot chocolate for everybody just as Sebastian finished his crepes by plating them alongside whipped cream and strawberries.
After serving everyone, Joker returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile, the rest of the hosts sipped quietly at their drinks and basked in the warmth of the fire. Sebastian sat down on the rug next to Ciel, who shot him a look of displeasure. He didn't bother giving any more of a reaction though, as slumber was embracing him ever so slowly. He vaguely heard Soma and Grell excitedly starting to tell stories with mouths full of crepes and strawberries, the other hosts laughing and joining in at times. However, he couldn't muster any strength to participate. Soon he gave up altogether and allowed his heavy eyelids to shut.
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He paced back and forth across the cold tiles of the kitchen floor, playing with his ginger braids and checking the oven every now and then. Though he wasn't completely inexperienced with baking, he'd never made Russian fudge before. Joker checked the time on the clock and beamed. Finally. He carefully removed the tray and let the fudge cool before wrapping it up neatly in some baking paper he'd found and embellishing it with a bow made of twine. It wasn't much, but Joker felt pleased nonetheless.
Holding the package behind his back, Joker nearly skipped back to the lounge to join his fellow hosts. When he got there though, his shoulders drooped and his smile turned sour.
"Come join us, Joker!" Soma beckoned cheerily.
He shook his head and smiled politely. "I'm feeling a little tired, I think I'll go to bed now."
He staggered through the lounge, past the rest of the Host Club, past Ciel, who had fallen asleep leaning against Sebastian's shoulder.
Once he reached the dark hallway beyond the lounge, he let the neatly wrapped fudge fall from his hand onto the ground, before turning in to one of the guest rooms and locking the door behind him.
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The sound of some sort of activity woke Ciel up from his sleep. He rubbed his unconcealed eye and yawned, then noticed that he was still in the lounge, sitting on the rug and wrapped in a blanket.
Ash's voice greeted him. "Good morning, Earl Phantomhive." The white-haired host appeared before him in a robe, holding a steaming mug of coffee. "It looks as though you've found a very strange bedfellow indeed."
Ciel was puzzled, but not enough to find out what Ash meant…that is, until his 'strange bedfellow' with whom he shared the blanket, shifted slightly in his sleep and a lock of ebony black hair brushed Ciel's forehead. He looked up warily while his stomach happily knotted itself. Sure enough, when he raised his head, he was met with the sight of Sebastian, sleeping with a serene expression he'd never seen before. Long black lashes curled elegantly, barely missing the ivory skin of his cheeks. His lips were parted by just millimetres, and each slow breath he took would blow a stray hair in time with the rising and falling of his chest. Ciel's cheeks felt hot and he quickly averted his eyes and focused on getting up carefully from under the blanket so as not to wake his upperclassman.
He plodded down the hallway towards the bathroom, still groggy and half-asleep. As he walked past the door of one of the bedrooms, he spotted an unassuming but oddly-placed package. Curious as always (though he'd never admit it), he picked it up and unwrapped it. Russian fudge…how nostalgic. Taking a bite of the confection, he couldn't help but smile just a little – a secret smile that he hadn't shown anyone for a long time.
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"It's a little burnt," he noted with amusement, and continued down the hallway.
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A/N: I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. If it does (or even if it doesn't), please elaborate in a review, and I'll do my best to improve! ^^
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Now, I know 'weirdo' is not much of an insult, but it reminds me of that episode in Season 2 where Ciel tells that crazy woman, "That's my butler, and a weird guy."
Also, with reference to Ash's comment about Ciel's 'strange bedfellow'; William Shakespeare said, "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows". And since misery is Ciel's lot in life, it's only natural to assume…
And I'm not sure if Sebastian really has long eyelashes…but Shiki of Togainu no Chi does, and those two look awfully similar…
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This Lesson's Playlist:
Dir en grey – Taiyou no Ao
Gackt – Marmalade
Jason Mraz – I'm Yours