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Chapter 12: Tender Hands and the Scent of Vanilla
Claude slowly peeled up Sebastian's blood soaked shirt. Only to see the red tinted wrapping around his chest, "Holy shit," whispered Ronald in shock. Claude hadn't even heard the door open, his eyes were locked on the dressings, which were in desperate need of being changed. Anger sunk its teeth into the man, as he slowly unraveled the gauze that were loosely clinging to Sebastian's chest. He was supposed to protect them; over and over he could hear the words of his mentor. He was Head Chef, the one who was supposed to push potential and aid chefs before they fell. Without him knowing Sebastian had shattered. "Ronald, inform Ciel that Sebastian will not be working for the rest of tonight," he commented as his eyes fell on the welts. "I'm taking him to the hospital and then to my flat," he stated firmly.
He glanced over his shoulder only to see the blond waiter nod and dash off. "What's going on?" he whispered softly as he felt his heart constrict, "Why didn't you say anything?" Claude slowly wrapped Sebastian in the blanket and picked him up; he knew Ciel would be irritated. He had a feeling he would be scolded, however at this point he could care less. Right now he had to attend to his pastry chef. The man who had brought sweetness to the kitchen. With Sebastian bundled in his arms he slipped out the back door and briskly walked to his Jaguar, in reality he didn't have to work. He had made more money than he knew what to do with, he could actually buy Ciel and still have enough to buy a mountain afterword. He placed Sebastian in the passenger seat and slipped into the driver's side. He knew Thompson and company could keep Hannah in check, there was only two hours to closing.
~~xXx~~
Ciel looked at the number, "He owes you eighty thousand Euros, that's," he paused and looked at Angela. That wasn't chump change, now why a sum of that size had been given to Sebastian's father was confusing. He hadn't done an investigation however, he didn't like the fact that this was cropping up now. Ciel had worked tirelessly to create a new image with Sebastian and Claude standing side by side under him. He intended to bring London a new star, only now this was going to cause and issue.
Sebastian's debt was far more than Ciel was even intending to pay the Pậtissier's salary for his first year. He looked at Angela and then the number, "Why are you telling me this?" asked Ciel after a moment as he handed the device back to her. He had no idea why this woman was coming to him now, he was pushing as hard as he could to get his restaurant to the top. With her appearing now, his life was thrown into chaos. She pursed her lips for a moment and then replied, "Wouldn't it be ashamed if I cut my losses by selling his debt to another group." Sapphire eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. She was treating Sebastian and his debt like bad stock, he hadn't been able to pay all the money back and she needed it. So she was going to cut her losses by selling him. It wasn't legal however, that didn't seem to matter to this woman.
If Sebastian was sold to someone he would be bound to them like a slave, and Ciel knew well enough that he would lose his pastry chef. His eyes narrowed, "You intend to sell him to the highest bidder," he commented. Angela chuckled as she crossed her long legs again, "Very good Phantomhive. You also realize that the highest bidder will not be gentle to him, he's rather beautiful and will fetch a fair price," she remarked as she reached in her pocket for a carton of cigarettes. She tapped the package on her hand and continued, "You can't afford that can you?" Ciel knew he couldn't, Sebastian was bringing in customers, the problem was he had no idea if Sebastian was worth the amount he owed. She went looking through her pockets for her lighter, "You and I both know he's popular," she stated. She was about to light the drag when Ciel glared at her, "Please don't smoke, I'm an asthmatic," he stated bluntly.
Angela huffed as she put the drag away and her lighter. "I have one question," he continued as he shifted his weight before continuing to lean on his desk. She swept her bangs out of her eyes and asked, "Oh?" Ciel nodded and grinned, he wasn't going to lose, he was the king of games after all. "Cash or check," he replied. If he could purchase Sebastian's debt he would be able to keep the pastry chef in check and maintain his control on the man, binding him permanently to Ciel, giving him the power to do as he pleased. "If it's cash it will take me a business week to get the funds together, where as a check will take ten business days to clear," he replied.
The woman looked stunned, "Cash," she replied, "Checks can be traced." Ciel nodded, he figured she would opt for that, after all, the lender was the head of an organization that clearly didn't desire to be named. "You will see it Friday," Ciel confirmed as he picked up a pad and wrote down the amount, "Call me with the time and place," he remarked as he plucked one of the black business cards from his desk with a bright blue metallic script across the front with the restaurant name. His information was printed on the back in white, "My mobile is on the back, call or text," he stated as he held it out to her between his fingers. The woman took the ink black card and nodded, "Is that all?" he asked curiously. The woman stared at him blankly before nodding; there was only one other person in the building who had that kind of money lying around and Ciel seriously doubted that he was willing to pay the price.
It wasn't until the woman got up to leave that Ciel realized Alois never came up stairs. Spears always carried out his orders without fail, something must have occurred for him to not. Once the woman had left Alois appeared, "Sebastian collapsed, Claude is taking him to the hospital," he panted as he stood before Ciel.
~~xXx~~
Claude paced the waiting room, they had rushed him through the ER to take care of the welts. His eyes were glued on the white linoleum floor as he paced back and forth. He was still in his Chef's jacket, he couldn't push the worry out of his head. He had never had a chef collapse on the job. He was always attentive when it came to those working under him. How he hadn't seen this was beyond him. "Mr. Faustus?" called a young woman with red hair, he looked up to see the familiar face of Angelina Durless. She acted as a food critic in her spare time, in reality this was what she did, she was a doctor in the ER. "Yes?" he replied and noticed how she seemed a little upset. She was carrying a clipboard with Sebastian's file on it, "First of all, I need to know now, did you know that he hasn't eaten anything in over a week? He's extremely malnourished, it's amazing he was even able to stand let alone work," she stated. Claude froze, he only thought Sebastian was simply not eating well, he didn't realize he had stopped eating all together. He began to wonder what happened to those delectable groceries he had purchased in the market. he had seen him shopping, "What?" he asked in confusion.
Angelina nodded before continuing, "The wounds on his chest are from a riding crop, it looks like he was beaten with one as a punishment. He's been bleeding for quite a while since his red blood cell count is really low," her words stabbed him like daggers as he came to the realization that she wasn't kidding about any of this. He began to follow her down the hallway, "Does he have any family?" she asked.
There was silence as he remembered what Sebastian had told him about his childhood, "No, he's an orphan," he replied slowly. Angelina was silent as she stood outside of Sebastian's room. He knew why she was, he needed someone to look after him while the lacerations were healing and help him change the dressings. "I'll look after him," said Claude after a moment. She nodded and opened the door to Sebastian's room, "Can I take him home tonight? I don't think you want him to panic when he wakes up." Madame Red looked over at the bed, her red eyes were locked on the thin and sleeping figure of the pastry chef. "Did he really make something that wonderful for me?" she asked after a moment.
Claude paused and looked at her, she seemed to be at a loss. Her lips were parted slightly as she pondered her thoughts. She had always been pale and he could see the dark circles forming under her eyes, she needed to reapply her makeup soon. "Yes he did, he made it from scratch," he replied softly, her eyes lift up after he said so and her small lips formed a smile. "A man made a treat that tasted as though an angel had," she mused before turning on her heel to leave. Claude knew that a number of customers thought highly of Sebastian's work, however, he had no idea that they thought that highly of it.
He left his position in the doorway and slowly crossed the room to the bed in which Sebastian was sleeping. Sebastian's eyes were closed and his face looked calm, his chest rose slowly before falling softly. He was safe, for now, which put Claude's mind at ease. Catching Sebastian as he collapsed had set something off inside of him. It was as though he were watching one of the strongest things finally crumble.
Before he even realized it Claude's large hands had wrapped around Sebastian's smaller ones, even the Head Chef's palms were bigger. Claude's golden eyes fell on what their hands looked like as he cradled Sebastian's. Sebastian's hands were slightly narrower in the palm and he had long fingers, perfect for a piano or violin. They were slightly pink and he could see the blue veins through the thin skin, which covered them. Claude's slightly thicker fingers traced each of Sebastian's knuckles, the skin was slightly rough over them but not unpleasant. He could only imagine the number of times Sebastian had been swatted over the knuckles with a ruler. A chuckle left the tall man as his turned Sebastian's hand over and looked at the palm. It was just as soft as he thought, his fingers were a little calloused from the rolling pin. He could smell the vanilla on them from the batter, and smiled, "Hands of an angel indeed, now whether or not you are one of those who fell is a different story," he commented.
~~xXx~~
Ronald had finally said goodnight to the last customer and took a seat at one of the tables. Thankfully Sebastian had made more than enough for the night. The floor always seemed larger when all of the customers had gone, yet he could still hear them. Their voices seemed to linger for a few moments in the air as he smelt the perfumes fade, the warmth of chairs dissipate and the remnants of the guests leave the room. The white linens were cleared long ago of the plates and utensils, leaving them strangely bare. A hand swept through his blond hair as he drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, he loved his position as the head waiter. He could remember every detail of the room, the scent of the food, the conversations, the laughter and the ring of glasses as a couple toasted.
It had been a long time since Ciel had seen so many happy customers, or had been so warm. Claude's food was naturally the best however the sweetness of Sebastian's desserts seemed to balance the bold flavors of Claude. The pair were like yin and yang, always balancing one another. "Sugar and Salt," he mused as he rose from his seat. He had heard of Sebastian collapsing and he suddenly began to worry about the warmth which had finally entered the restaurant again. "Knox?" asked a familiar voice, Ronald turned and looked over his shoulder at William. His blazer was over his shoulder and his hair had fallen out-of-place. "What's the matter?" he asked after a moment.
Ronald hummed as he shifted in his seat and loosened his bow tie, "What if we finally lose the warmth which this place has gained? What if by some chance things end horribly as they had with the previous chef?" he asked after a moment. William's expression was blank, however his emerald-green eyes told a different story. They were filled with concern and he seemed pensive, the last chef had left in a huff and things had ended poorly. In fact it was the reason why one of those precious stars had fallen. "Sebastian isn't like him, not at all. Ash betrayed us," said William after a moment as he pulled out an empty chair and took a seat in front of him.
"But can we really afford to lose another star? We are already skating on thin ice," Ronald whispered as he looked at his hands. He loved the restaurant, the customers and for the most part, the staff was like his family. There was silence, green eyes shifted to find a pair of emeralds which seemed just as concerned. William wasn't like the other members of the staff, his emotions rarely showed on his face, excluding anger and irritation both of those were visible when Grell was around. "In reality no, however he isn't Ash. Ash sabotaged us, Sebastian simply collapsed. This Pậtissier is far too kind to do what Ash had," William replied as he placed a hand on Ronald's head and ruffled his hair. "We will be alright, he was probably sleep deprived and dehydrated. It's been a rough past few days for him," William stated casually as he began to fix Ronald's bangs after having made a mess of them.
His hands were large and rather warm as he swept Ronald's bangs back in place. "You know Grell will get insanely jealous if he sees this," Ronald whispered with a smile. A low chuckle left William's lips as his fingers brushed the side of the blond's face, his touch was light and tender. Vaguely Ronald began to wonder if this was what the wine bottles felt as Williams' fingers caressed each of them. "I think he can hold his own, besides he left with a rather handsome man before," William replied with a grin, "We won't have to worry about him tonight." A shiver of anticipation ran through Ronald as William drew closer, he was about to press his lips to the waiter when Hannah called, "Get a room!"
Ronald looked over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue, "Get Laid!" he shouted back before turning to William. The white haired woman stomped her foot and left in a huff, as she always did when ever Ronald had the audacity to reply to her taunts. "You know, one of these days she's going to spray you with Mace," he remarked. The slender shoulders of the head waiter lifted and fell slowly as he commented, "Too late, she did last year, or don't you remember?" William paused and absently tapped his chin, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He seemed to be lost as he looked for the memory. It was one which Ronald would never forget, "Oh yes, the time Grell dared you to hug her, she got you point blank in the face with the Mace. You screamed bloody murder," he chuckled as he recalled the embarrassing fiasco. "I'm never listening to him again," commented Ronald as he pouted and crossed his arms.
"Don't worry love, she will never get you again," he commented with a grin as he walked behind Ronald and wrapped his arms around the waiter. Those powerful arms which lifted cases of wine and held him every night were wrapped around him. "Oh?" asked Ronald as he tipped his head back to look up at the Sommelier. William had removed his glasses and nodded, their faces were a breath away from one another. Ronald could see the gold streaks in William's green irises, and the minute highlights of chestnut in his hair. "Yes because you are no longer single," he whispered before pressing his lips to Ronald's. The young blond hummed as he slowly slipped his hand over William's neck and parted his lips for the Sommelier. As always his kiss tasted like the full bodied Merlot he favored.
~~xXx~~
Ciel sighed and shook his head, Alois had told him what had happened to the pastry chef and he felt as though he had been tricked, or cheated in some way. He was about to purchase defective goods, he couldn't even respond to Alois. He simply stood there absently staring at the blond bartender who was in a world of panic. By the time Ciel had managed to wrap his mind around what had happened he was in the kitchen standing before Ronald and Hannah. Claude was nowhere to be seen. The memory played over and over in his head, his sapphire blue eyes closed as he remembered their expressions. Hannah looked as though she had lost her sanity as she attempted to plate each dessert. While Ronald was doing everything he could to contain the fear of the public realizing that the Pậtissier had just passed out and was being driven to the hospital at a minimum.
It was a miracle they had pulled through the night, it was hard enough to run the kitchen when it was fully staffed. To be down both the Pậtissier and the Head Chef was a nightmare. Ciel drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled in an attempted to control his anger before turning his attention to his desk. The note which he had written still rested on top of the pile. He had to punish both chefs, or at least Claude, who could have sent Sebastian with one of the underlings and remained in the kitchen. The question was what could he possibly do to the man that would hurt him enough. Claude wasn't like the others, he wasn't in need of money and Ciel knew that. He sighed as he took a seat at his desk.
"Ciel?" called a timid voice through the door, he could hear a timid knock as a familiar hand tapped on the door. "Come in Elizabeth," he called. The young woman pushed open the door, a smile had swept across her lips and he watched as it slowly faded before his eyes. If there was one thing Elizabeth was familiar with it was that she was able to read his every emotion. "You're brooding," she commented, he could hear the disappointment in her voice. Recently she had become upset every time he worked over time, she knew better than anyone that the restaurant business was demanding, yet she was always so upset when ever he had to work late. "What's the matter Lizzy?" asked Ciel as he slipped the note pad under a stack of papers and slowly got up from his seat.
He wasn't in the mood to explain the large number written on the pad or the details. "Ciel, do you remember what day it is?" she asked slowly, he could hear the pain in her voice again. He hummed and replied, "Yeah, the twelfth." There was another pause as he large emerald eyes looked at him, she looked even more irritated than before, "Ciel, do you remember what today is?" she asked. Clearly he had missed something until he watched her pull out a small brown box, he froze and looked at her. A wave of dread smashed into him after realizing what he had just forgotten, "Our anniversary," she stated coldly, "You said we would do something this year."
He was stiff as she placed the box on his desk and looked at him, "You promised, how could you forget something so important, we've been engaged for a year," she spat. This was the first time Ciel had ever seen the woman this upset, he knew they had been engaged for a while, however he never expected this to happen. "Lizzy I'm so sorry, something came up. Sebastian," he began only for her to glare at him.
"What the hell does a Pậtissier have to do with you forgetting about our reservation?" she demanded, her tone was even colder as Ciel watched the woman become furious with him. He drew a deep breath and ran his hand through his slate hair in exasperation, she was frustrating. "He collapsed today, during dinner, I was attending to it," he replied. Elizabeth paused, her expression changed slowly into one of shock and then concern. She had become a fan of Sebastian's work, to the point that he had to ask Ronald to box up a treat for her so he could bring it home with him. "Is he alright?" she asked after a moment. Ciel hummed and nodded, "I got a call from Madame Red, he's resting for now. Claude is taking him home," he replied.
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment, "Then why didn't you call?" she asked softly, "You could have texted me." Ciel sighed as he slowly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head affectionately, "Everything happened so fast, I didn't really have a chance to come up for air," he replied as he pulled her closer to him. He smiled brightly and continued, "You know I didn't forget though," he lied. He wasn't about to tell her that he had entirely forgotten, that would be beyond idiotic. She looked up at him curiously and Ciel continued, "Check my left pocket." It was honestly a good thing he had picked the piece for Lizzy in advance and picked it up in case of emergencies. She curiously reached into the pocket and found a small box, her eyes widened as she looked at the small blue box. "Tiffany's," she whispered. Ciel nodded and smiled as he watched her open the small blue box, nestled inside was a pair of white gold hoops.
Her face fell as she looked at the box's contents. He figured she would love them they were shaped like hearts and covered in diamonds. "You don't like them?" Ciel asked curiously, he was certain in the store that she would love them. She smiled broadly and replied, "Oh no, I love them," she chirped. He could tell she was expecting to see something better, "I'm glad," he admitted with a smile. She was his fiancé however he had yet to give her the ring, his parents had made a deal with the Milfords when he was a child. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he had no interest in taking it past being lovers. Yet she insisted on the other. He didn't see the point on marriage; his own parents had a fragile one. It seemed more restrictive than it did anything. "Ciel, can we do something this weekend?" asked Elizabeth with a smile.
"Of course, whatever you like," replied Ciel with a smile.
~~xXx~~
Claude slowly carried Sebastian through his flat, Madame Red specifically instructed to make sure Sebastian took it easy so that his wounds would heal. Naturally Claude agreed to her terms; however he couldn't help but stare at the beautiful man in his arms. Even though he was too thin, Sebastian was still beautiful, far more beautiful than any other he had met. He continued through his living room and walked past the dining room toward his bedroom. He smiled as he placed Sebastian on the plum colored sheets, the rich color made his skin look like fine porcelain, bone white and smooth to the touch. He shook his head and pushed the thought to the side as he slowly removed the jacket he had wrapped the man in and then his shirt. He wanted the gauze to get some air; it would help them heal cleanly.
His fingers delicately lifted the shirt as he cradled Sebastian in his arms, he was careful with every movement. As he did so his fingers trailed across Sebastian's skin, it was just as soft and smooth as it had appeared. He slowly placed the man back on the bed before removing his sauté pants, he stole touches as he went, careful not to leave any marks. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Once Sebastian's sauté pants were off he folded them and placed them on the other side of his massive bed. In moments he had Sebastian tucked into his bed, on another occasion he would be happy that he finally had the chef in his bed. However, this wasn't how he would have liked it, he sighed sadly as he gently tucked one of Sebastian's bangs behind his ear. "Good night," he whispered as he slowly went to get up.
Claude was about to walk away when he felt a tug on his shirt, he paused and turned around in confusion to see a pair of ruby red eyes gazing up at him. "Please, don't leave," Sebastian pleaded, he sounded like a child again, hurt, alone and afraid. Claude froze, Sebastian's eyes were glassy, his cheeks were flushed it wasn't until then he remembered that they had given Sebastian some powerful medication to numb the pain so they could put the stitches in. "Don't leave me alone," he stammered again, his voice was soft and laced with sadness. It sounded as though he were going to cry, Claude felt his heart constrict as he looked at him. Alois only showed something similar when he had a nightmare, the pain medication that Madame Red administered must have made him slightly delusional. "I'm just going to be outside," Claude said after a moment as he gently removed Sebastian's hand.
The raven haired chef's eyes widened as he gripped Claude's hand. The Head Chef could feel his harsh grip and realized Sebastian was squeezing his hand with all the strength he had. "Don't leave me alone, stay," he said again, "it hurts." Claude slowly took a seat on the bed and sighed with defeat, he was planning on sleeping on the sofa, however Sebastian seemed bent on keeping him in bed. "Alright," he said softly as he placed a hand on his head, "I'll stay." Claude slipped off his shoes and slipped out of his shirt, Sebastian's eyes drooped and he could tell that the Pậtissier was exhausted. He slipped off his belt and then pants before walking to his dresser and slipping into a pair of sweatpants. Claude turned around to see Sebastian was forcing himself to stay awake. He chuckled a little; this action reminded him so much of a small child, scared of monsters under the bed. He lifted the plum and gold bedding to slip under it; he had forgotten how warm his bed was with another person.
There had only been one other person that he had shared his bed with, someone who had stabbed him in the back and had been cheating the entire time. The one person who proved Claude's father right, he sighed as he watched Sebastian slowly slip back to sleep. He could only pray that the chef wouldn't panic when he woke in the morning after finding himself sleeping beside him. "Well I can enjoy him now, whatever the morning may bring, I have tonight and he is in my bed so it's not a total loss," he muttered before slipping his glasses off and placing them on the night stand. With a soft click the lights went out, and he snuggled into the pillow. All he could do was wait until sleep finally took him.
