Chapter 13: Rivals and Games
O
O
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. If I did, it would already have a yaoi warning splashed across the cover page.
O
O
O
Tanaka was Japanese and an old man with invaluable experience of the world of sweet pastries. He was a renowned pastry chef during the old times- a person that any professional pâtissier would respect. However, time is cruel. As Tanaka gradually lost his sense of taste and the dexterity of his hands, the old man realised it was time to retire from the world he loved so much. Now, his time was mostly spent on teaching the young ones who had a fiery passion that was enough to scorch a forest. One of them was Sebastian who had, rather obviously, surpassed his mentor.
Raw talent was one thing. However, to polish that talent requires more than just brute force. Sebastian was fresh out of university when he had first met Tanaka. Having finally gained independence from his overbearing parents, Sebastian started to attempt his hand at baking. Soon enough, Tanaka had realised his tutee's flair for baking. Although he had a few rough spots here and there, Sebastian managed to make a name of his own. It was just mere years before the awards started to rain like cats and dogs. Le Ciel Et L'enfer was soon opened and the rest was, needless to say history.
Ciel, being the studious cool-geek he was, knew who Tanaka exactly was. What he didn't know however, was that even Sebastian needed to start off from learning from someone else. It seemed surreal that his guardian (and lover) had gotten this far in just a few years. Granted, Ciel was no amateur to this business...but being young certainly had its disadvantages...especially in the muscle area. Ciel frowned. Then again, it seemed unlikely that he would gain any muscle. His thirteenth birthday was on the horizons and it seemed as though as he hadn't grown an inch.
Ciel chanced a glance at Tanaka. He seemed like a nice old man- cheerful and encouraging. It was hard to believe how different this pair of teacher and student was. As Tanaka gave Maylene his coat and scarf, the old man turned to greet his ex-student.
"Ah- Sebastian. How is business?" Tanaka asked in a light cheery tone, holding out his hand to shake Sebastian's. The other accepted the gesture readily as a small smile graced his lips. Although Sebastian's skills were better than Tanaka's ever were, the younger chef still respected the old man.
"It is as it should be." Sebastian replied while Ciel rolled his eyes. That obviously translated to –'Better than ever before.' It was to be expected after all, especially after that review the Undertaker had given. Ciel bit his lip at that thought. That was also the day... Ciel shook himself out of his thoughts. That was too dangerous of a territory to step into then. Fortunately, his concentration was instantly shifted when he saw a hand in front of him.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr Ciel Phantomhive. Ho ho... I'm sure Sebastian must have been a difficult teacher." Tanaka commented lightly. Blinking, Ciel gave the old man a wry smile and accepted the handshake. "You have no idea." The old man chuckled while Sebastian simply resisted running his palm down his face. The boy could tell he was going to like his teacher's teacher already.
O
O
O
Tanaka titled the fork at an upwards angle, tasting a small piece of the cheesecake that Sebastian had made that afternoon. His eyes widened visibly but relaxed within the next second. He chuckled and picked up the napkin and patted it against his lips.
"You never cease to amaze me, Sebastian. Your instinct towards ingredients is just as sharp as ever. Once again, I'll ask. How do you do it?" Tanaka inquired, lifting up the cup of tea Maylene had then placed before him. Earl Grey- a classic favourite.
Sebastian smiled and gave the same response he had been giving Tanaka since the beginning. "It's a secret." After all, if he were to tell everyone the secrets to his success, then everyone would be doing the same. The man didn't plan on divulging his secrets anytime soon. Well, maybe. He could make an exception just for Ciel.
Ciel sat at the opposite end of the table, watching the dynamics of the relationship between ex-teacher and ex-student. It seemed as though Sebastian was perfection incarnate since the beginning while here he was, working his butt of just to make himself seem worthy enough to be Sebastian's apprentice.
His age was just an excuse.
"The festival begins next week doesn't it?" Tanaka asked. Sebastian nodded, gesturing to Maylene to start clearing the tables. Tanaka gave a small sigh and then started staring off into space. Ciel was intrigued by this. What had caused this change in attitude?
"Claude will be there." Tanaka told Sebastian. Sebastian's response to that was, to say the least, rather unexpected. His shoulders visibly stiffened, eyebrow twitched and actually allowed himself a visible sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.
"So he's back from Japan? I should have expected this." Sebastian then said, barely noticing that the entire staff (except William) had their ears perked. Ciel frowned. Claude? Who was this? And why did Sebastian react so violently (in his opinion) to his name? A rival?
Despite being at Sebastian's side for four years, Ciel knew that there was so much more to the man that he didn't know. He had accepted this fact. However, there were times like these where it could get annoying.
Tanaka looked at the clock and noted the time. He stood up swiftly and patted Sebastian on his shoulder.
"Both of you have grown up since then. You should try and talk it out with him. I'll be here on Monday. Sayonara." Tanaka grinned as he shrugged on his coat and disappeared out the front door.
Sebastian waved back and turned, almost blinking when he found the entire staff (once again, except William) staring at him.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Start closing up!" Sebastian ordered as the staff scrambled into motion. Both chefs retreated into the kitchens, heading towards the lockers where their clothes were kept.
"Sebastian?" Ciel had begun, shedding off the pristine white chef coat and turned towards the locker door so he could put it where it belonged.
"Hmm?" Sebastian hummed, already in the midst of buttoning his long sleeved shirt. His fingers were quick and nimble, sleeping through the button holes with ease.
"Who is Claude?" the boy asked, purposefully in a nonchalant tone. Sebastian, who seemed to be expecting that question, merely chuckled and snapped his locker shut. "He is just an old...acquaintance. Last I heard, he was scouted for a five star pastry cafe in Japan. I didn't expect him to be back in Paris, to be honest."
"Oh?" Ciel replied. There was obviously something else. It was obvious that Sebastian was reluctant to reveal anything more. But he was curious. Oh-so curious. This wasn't the first time a mystery person appeared in front of Sebastian. More often than not, while Sebastian and Ciel were on the streets, they would bump into one of Sebastian's ex-...conquests.
Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience for Ciel. Although Sebastian's possessiveness was legendary, Ciel could come up as a close second.
Sebastian chanced a look at the pensive boy. He could almost see the gears working endlessly in his head. Truth be told, it wasn't that big of a secret. Sebastian simply didn't see the need to explain. He was a private man and didn't like divulging personal details. He would admit though...if there was a bane in Sebastian's life, it would be Claude.
He could however, use this opportunity to score some- if you get what I mean.
William then peeked through the door. "Mr Michaelis, the shop is ready to be closed. The rest of us will leave through the front." Sebastian waved William off, dismissing his second in command. Once the lights outside the kitchen doors dimmed and footsteps shuffled off, Sebastian decided to ask the question.
"Do you really want to know?" Sebastian questioned, his voice laced with a tinge of mystery. He could almost see those cat-ears of Ciel's perk up. The fact that Ciel always seemed so curious about his personal matters shouldn't amuse him, but it did. But what was one more sin to his mounting collection of evil deeds?
The gaze in the boy's eyes told Sebastian all he needed.
"I'll tell you... if you win in a game against me." The older man stated, pleased to note that Ciel's attention was completely on him. Ciel loved games and excelled at them- that he knew. However, this one might just pose a challenge to the adventurous young boy.
Ciel was apprehensive, but snorted when he heard the word 'game' and asked "What is it this time? A game of cards? Bridges? Defense of the Ancients? Need I remind you I was this close to beating you before our internet connection died?"
Sebastian chuckled. "No no... this is a game of endurance." He was almost surprised that Ciel still didn't catch on.
Ciel, obviously, failed to grasp onto Sebastian's message as he arched his brow, implying that he needed his guardian to elaborate. Sebastian sighed almost wearily and closed the distance between them. Alarm signals started going off in Ciel's head.
"Sebast- what?!" Ciel near-yelped as he suddenly found himself lifted into the air. Startled, all Ciel could do was latch onto Sebastian's neck. The young boy grew steadily furious. Just what the heck was Sebastian doing? And where the hell was he taking him?! He didn't like being manhandled- seriously.
"Sebastian! Put me down!" Ciel yelled, lightly punching the side of Sebastian's head. That caused the older man to pause for a moment, before carrying on walking as if nothing happened.
Then, Ciel could hear the fridge door unlock as Sebastian pulled something out of the refrigerator. The boy twisted himself around and barely caught a glimpse of what was in Sebastian's other hand.
"Strawberry shortcake? I was saving that for tomorrow!" Ciel complained, now struggling more than ever. It was one thing to treat him like a rag doll, and another to steal his secret stash of cakes!
"And you're going to have it tonight." Sebastian murmured in a low tone, deliberately stroking Ciel's small calves. Struggles came to a standstill as Ciel was suddenly very much aware of their bodies' proximities. Remnants of that faithful night caused a shiver of anticipation to run up his spine.
Gently, Sebastian laid Ciel onto a counter. He placed a small kiss near the shell of Ciel's ear, refraining from laughing as he watched the tip of the boy's ears turned red.
Ciel was no fool. The past few days had been... suspenseful, to say the least. Sebastian didn't seem to be aware of it, but the child noticed that his guardian seemed to be seeking more ways of bodily contact. Sometimes, when Sebastian helped Ciel into his heavy long coat, those long fingers would linger on his shoulders longer than necessary. The older man had been rather touchy feely when they had unwind after a long day in front of the television. Ciel had almost expected Sebastian to jump his bones...but he definitely didn't expect it to be in the cafe's kitchen!
Teasing touches through the light material of his shirt caused Ciel to shiver. The patterns Sebastian's fingers traced didn't seem to have a definite direction. They went up, down, left and around...and then back again. Ciel's heart started to pound and his breaths came out in short pants. He yelped suddenly when Sebastian's thumb suddenly changed directions and headed south...very south.
"Oh...oh." Ciel moaned at the sensation of delicious friction down there. His hands started to search the air blindly, grasping at the ends of inky black hair. "Sebastian..!" The chef allowed his lips to drag over Ciel's collarbone, finding the expense of milky skin to be the smoothest treat he had ever tasted. God he missed this.
Every twitch and jerk of the little boy's body only fanned the flames of Sebastian's desires further. They had yet to discuss the rules of the game and he was already ready to devour his young beautiful charge.
"Tsk tsk." Sebastian murmured as he gave Ciel's neck a sharp nip. "Already giving up? That's no fun..." At that comment, Ciel's mind snapped out of its lustful haze. With defiant eyes, he stared right back into dark ruby orbs.
"The terms?" the boy had questioned, trying to stay focused and not be distracted by mischievous wandering fingers. But they felt oh-so wonderful...
Sebastian leered. "No sounds from here on end. As much as I love them, it'll be nice to try something new. I'll allow pants....but only because you'll faint if you don't get enough air..." He slid his palm over the boy's small thighs, almost smirking when he saw Ciel bit his lip.
No sounds? That was impossible! Sebastian knew he was the vocal sort, as much as he didn't like to admit. But... "What if I can't?" Ciel panted, wishing that he could swat away those hands that were trailing the edges of his pants. The older man held back a grin. He knew Ciel simply couldn't resist a challenge.
Sebastian's brushed his lips against Ciel's, pecked it and nuzzled his nose against Ciel's heated cheeks.
"I get to do whatever I want with you for one week."
Ciel's brows furrowed. Well, that wasn't very different compared to their normal lifestyle. But....
"Fine. But if I win, you do what I want." Sebastian's smiled. The plate of strawberry shortcake still laid innocently by their sides.
"Alright. Let's begin, shall we?"
O
O
O
A/N: Emmm..yeah. It should be obvious what the next chapter will be. I solemnly swear the next update will come faster XD. Man I'm so bad =___=.