I fell a bit behind on writing earlier this month and couldn't finish my update on time, so please accept this for now! I promise something with a lot more depth next month.
Thank you to the lovely javajowgie for betaing for me again! 3 3 3
As the sun began to fall on an oddly sunny London day, a tiny golden bell rang above the bakery's glass door to announce the arrival of the final customer of the day. The smell of sweets hung heavily in the air, traces of coffee and bread swirling betwixt the intertwining scents of icing and pastries.
Sebastian glanced up from where he was wiping down the far side of the counter, between himself and the customer, his preparations for closing halted by a delicate hand grasping a twenty dollar bill with the clear desire for one of the bakery's luxuriant desserts. The young man, no older than twenty-one, paid little mind to the employee behind the counter-who watched with intrigue as the patron greedily eyed the admittedly-diminished amount of sweets residing within the massive glass case.
The moment Sebastian's eyes met his customer's petite form, recognition sparked in the forefront of his mind. The man, who had said his name was 'Ciel' the last time he ordered, stopped by every Tuesday and Friday evening, with a leather messenger bag tucked beneath his left arm, a casual blazer swathing his chest, and the faintest of blushes dusting his cheeks.
He usually arrived much sooner, at the exact same time every week, leading Sebastian to assume that he was a student at the same college that he himself attended. For Ciel to come in so close to the end of his shift was unusual, but if the tired set of his shoulders and the dark circles beneath his eyes were anything to go by, his schedule had likely been disturbed.
Sebastian carefully set aside the cloth he'd been using to clear away remnants of flour and sugar, and straightened out the crimson apron he wore over his sable attire. He offered a patient smile to the distracted man before him, silently appraising him all the while. He was cute, that much didn't take a scholar to notice. His frame was small and thin, and his facial structure greatly resembled the one of a fair storybook elf, the only lacking features being that of pointed ears and an increased height.
It wasn't the first time that Sebastian had subtly admired his customer; in fact, it wasn't the second time, or even the third. He had taken a liking to Ciel from the moment he had stepped through the doors, his hair dripping with the first rain of autumn, and a grumpy expression twisting his features. He had ordered an earl grey-the largest one they sold-alongside a chocolate tart, eyes practically sparkling as he devoured every last crumb of the sweet pastry.
Since that day, he had ordered the exact same drink and snack each week, and Sebastian had taken great pains to make sure that the shop never sold out of either one before his usual customer arrived. It had been a rather busy day, and as such, he had set aside a tart in preparation for Ciel's arrival. He was pleased that he had, seeing as the student's eyes dulled in disappointment the moment he realized that his favourite sweet was nowhere to be seen.
"Welcome in! I'm assuming, but did you want a chocolate tart tonight?" Sebastian asked, struggling to restrain a chuckle when the handsome man turned to him with wide, confused eyes. The expression didn't linger for long, however, replaced with a kind smile as the man's sullen aura seemed to lighten.
"Hi, Sebastian. I'm surprised to see you working this late," Ciel chimed, his focus fully shifting to the man behind the counter, rather than the food within the glass case. "I came in for one, but it looks like you're out of them today. I guess that's what I get for stopping in so late."
"I had to cover for a coworker, I'm afraid," Sebastian answered, heart-skipping a beat at the way his name rolled off of Ciel's tongue. That the man had remembered his name at all came as a slight shock, but it was a pleasant one.
Leaning against the counter, Sebastian tilted his head, studying the almost nervous fashion in which Ciel fiddled with the strap of his book bag as he pulled a coral-tinted box from behind the counter. "And I thought you may say that... So I held a tart for you in case you stopped by. Do you want earl grey with it again?"
"You held one for me…?" Ciel breathed, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as the box was slid into the space between them, and opened to reveal a perfectly formed chocolate tart. The student's expression instantly lightened. "Thank you so much for that. I can't tell you how much I needed this today."
"You're welcome, Ciel," Sebastian said, unable to stop a grin from forming on his lips as he popped a lid on the paper cup that held Ciel's earl grey. "Rough day?"
"Not particularly rough… 'Irritating' would be a more appropriate word. I woke up at an hour that no one should be awake at to make it to my English class, which I didn't know was cancelled until I got there," the younger man grumbled, gratefully accepting his tea as it was offered to him.
With a sigh, and a quick glance to make sure that his manager was truly gone for the day, Sebastian leaned heavily against the counter. Giving a sigh and a remorseful smile, he raised his brows at his customer. "Are you by any chance referring to Professor Spears?"
"Yes…" Ciel groaned, his posture relaxing as he crossed his arms as well as he could while holding his hot beverage. "He's the most awful professor I've ever had. Do you know him?"
"I'm one of his victims as well. He doesn't have the decency to email when class is cancelled, but he certainly doesn't mind deducting from our final test scores if we're two minutes late." Chuckling as he rang up Ciel's order, Sebastian couldn't resist a quick glance at the complaining student, finding his annoyed expression rather charming. Almost as fetching as his smile.
Though he had yet to have a full conversation with him until now, he found himself wanting to learn more about Ciel from the first time he had seen him-to bask in the serenity that his presence offered. But was it truly worth it? What if Ciel took it the wrong way, rejected him, felt awkward coming by the bakery if he did ask him out to lunch?
Ciel moved to pull his wallet from his bag, and as Sebastian watched him, he made his decision before he had time to truly think it through. Struggling to grasp at the confidence that he couldn't quite feel, Sebastian inhaled slowly, steeling himself for possible embarrassment as he spoke. "Don't worry about it. It's on the house."
With colour rising to Ciel's cheeks, he stifled a smile. "Erm… Thank you for that, but it's my food, I wouldn't feel right accepting that." Offering his card to the barista, the student was only met with a shake of the head.
Brushing away Ciel's payment, Sebastian took a step back. "I insist. I know how awful it is waking up so early for a cancelled class, consider this a token of my mutual suffering."
"Are you quite sure? You won't get in trouble for this?"
"Why would I get in trouble if I'm the one paying for it?" Sebastian questioned, a fraction of his nervousness dispersing when his actions were met with flushed cheeks rather than discomfort.
"I suppose you're right," Ciel sighed, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he took a quick sip of his tea. "I will only let you pay for this on one condition."
Taken off-guard by the man's declaration, Sebastian quirked a single brow. "And what is that?"
Ciel reached into his brown, leather messenger bag before he answered, tearing off a miniscule piece of his notebook paper and pulling forth a blue pen. Scribbling quickly, determination clear in the way he bit his lip, he held out the paper to the confused employee. "Let me pay you back another day."
'Oh. Perhaps my interest wasn't as well hidden as I had hoped,' Sebastian thought to himself. Beaming at the younger student, he hastily accepted the paper containing Ciel's phone number. With a teasing lilt to his tone, Sebastian leaned just a bit closer to his customer, his joy clear in the way his eyes sparkled beneath the light of the sunset pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Then we have a deal."
"Perfect," Ciel chirped, sly, yet relieved as he gathered up his box and prepared for his departure from the shop. "Until then… I'll see you in English class."
"Indeed. Monday can't come quickly enough now," Sebastian called, receiving a laugh as he bid the man farewell, and watched him disappear around the corner outside of the shop.
It took him no more than ten minutes to finish cleaning up the bakery after Ciel left, but as it did, it was with a spring in his step, and the budding traces of excitement building in his chest.
The warm feeling didn't fade as he locked up the shop and gathered his things, nor did it as he reached the door of his small flat. However, it did grow, right as he pulled out his phone and typed a quick message to the number that would soon be saved to his phone, along with a small, blue heart emoji on either side of the short name.
'How do you feel about lunch on Sunday?'