Disclaimer ~ I do not own Shokugeki No Soma or Black Butler
"Disgusting," a girl with bright red hair pulled into a ponytail chuckled darkly. "It's revolting. Pops is gonna hate it," the girl laughed, writing the recipe for her newest creation down. Peanut butter squid tentacles. It was definitely worse than the sardines and jam recipe.
"I thought I'd find you here, Soma," an amused voice sounded from behind her. Soma whirled around, a smile on her face.
"Sebby! Perfect timing! You have to try this," she exclaimed happily. The butler raised an eyebrow elegantly.
"Perhaps later," Sebastian said. "It is approaching time for the Young Master's tea. Afterwards you need to begin making tonight's dinner," he said. Soma nodded.
"That's right, we have a guest coming tonight. We must show him the full Phantomhive hospitality," Soma's smirk was mirrored by the man in front of her.
"But of course. What kind of servants would we be if we couldn't even do this much for our master?" Sebastian asked.
"I'll have tea ready in about ten minutes," Soma said, dusting some dirt off her pants and picking up her charcoal grill. Sebastian nodded and the two went their separate ways. Soma to the kitchen and Sebastian to find the other servants and inform them of their jobs for the evening. However when she arrived in the kitchen she couldn't help but freeze in shock. Her kitchen...was a mess. All the ingredients for that night's supper was destroyed. Burned to a crisp. Soma took a deep breath to calm herself. Yeah...it didn't work.
"BARDROY!" she screamed, whirling around to begin her manhunt for the other chef, if he could be called that. Soma was trying to teach him how to cook, but he simply didn't have the patience for it. If the meal wasn't a fast and easy one, he tended to get impatient and try to speed it up. Needless to say, this wasn't the first time this particular situation has happened.
"I assume by your scream that Bard has also tried to help," Sebastian said from behind her. Soma turned to look at him and found the other four servants as well. Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard all looked guilty in their own ways. Tanaka was sitting against the wall and drinking a cup of tea.
"What did they do this time?" Soma asked, sighing deeply and pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Tripped and knocked over a cabinet trying to reach the china, extra strength weed killer on the garden, and flamethrower," Sebastian told her. Soma felt her eye twitch.
"Okay. Okay. The guest will be here in two hours. Plenty of time to make a quick run into town for replacement ingredients," Soma said, her mind already going through hundreds of recipes she could make in the new time limit. It was Sebastian's turn to sigh.
"So much to do and so little time. Why can't you three be more like Tanaka and Soma," Sebastian said, then froze. They could see a metaphorical light bulb appear over his head. "I'm going to need all of your help. We might be able to save this night yet," Sebastian said, taking the teacup from Tanaka and showing them the Japanese character on it.
"I like the way you think," Soma chirped happily, following Sebastian's train of thought.
"Bard, Finny, and Soma. Go into town and buy two dozen bags of gravel, plus whatever ingredients Soma needs for dinner. Mey-Rin, there should be some Japanese style china in the storeroom. Find it and bring them here. Tanaka, continue as you are. Chop chop now," Sebastian ordered. As one, the five servants saluted and separated to do their tasks.
Soma separated form Finny and Bard to get the ingredients while they got the gravel. Luckily for her, the meat was still useable. She would need to cut off the burnt part but she could work with the remaining meat. What she needed was mostly vegetables and rice, which she found easily enough. They weren't as good a quality as what could normally be found in the Phantomhive gardens, but they would do. She could make them taste just as good once cooked.
She met up with Bard and Finny a few minutes later, and helped them finish loading the gravel into the car. Once done, she left the boys to Sebastian's care while she returned to the kitchen and began preparing the ingredients. The meat especially needed the most work.
"Soma, approximately how long will you need to make the dish? Sebastian asked, poking his head into the door.
"Not long. I'm using a recipe from dad's diner so I'd say about ten minutes once I start cooking," Soma answered. "The desert will need about an hour to bake once I finish the prep work."
"Lovely. Could you take over for me in designing the garden? I have a bit of cleaning left to do," Sebastian explained. Soma washed her hands and dried them with a towel.
"Sometimes I feel more like another maid than the chef," she teased. Sebastian patted her on the head as she walked past.
"Believe me, I know the feeling," Sebastian said. They shared a smirk and went their separate ways. Soma arrived outside to see that they had recruited Mey-Rin's help as well.
"Alright guys! Let's get to work!" Soma exclaimed, warning cheers from the others and a 'Ho Ho Ho' from Tanaka. They all grabbed a bag of gravel and began spreading an even layer across the garden area. Soma briefly wondered if Ciel would had been told about everything that's happened in the last couple hours but decided it wasn't important at the moment.
They finished on time, but only barely. It was only thanks to Finny noticing a car coming up the driveway that gave the servants enough time to hide their tools in a bush. Sebastian's timing was good as well, appearing out of nowhere while the others arranged themselves in a line.
"My! What an exquisite garden!" their guest, Damian, exclaimed. None of the servants reacted, save Sebastian.
"It's a Japanese stone garden. Two of our staff are Japanese and our master had this garden built to give them a small taste of their home," Sebastian explained politely. Soma bit her lip to refrain from laughing. How Sebastian could say such BS with a straight face was beyond her knowledge. He certainly was a demon of many talents. "We thought it appropriate to serve dinner out here tonight," Sebastian said smoothly.
"Tanaka will lead you to the young master's study while we wait for dinner to be ready," Sebastian said. Tanaka took his new job easily, simply walking in front of Damien until they reached where Ciel was waiting in the study. As soon as the doors closed behind the duo, everyone let out sighs of relief.
"Who knew all it took was two dozen bags of gravel to make such a lovely garden," Finny said amazed.
"Our master had this garden built to give us a taste of our home huh?" Soma teased, turning to look at Sebastian. She only received a pat to her head for her efforts. Sebastian was very hard to embarrass or get flustered. Didn't stop her from trying.
"We still have things to do. Soma, I trust you will be okay on your own?" Sebastian asked.
"I will be, but I thought I'd take this chance to show Bard a few things," Soma explained. Sebastian nodded in understanding.
"Then Bard shall join you in the kitchen. I will have Mey-Rin and Finny assist me in the final preparations," Sebastian told them. Everyone nodded and split up. Soma and Bard to the kitchen and Mey-Rin, Finny, and Sebastian to...somewhere in the mansion.
"Okay Bard. I need you to cut off all the burnt pieces of meat. Once that's done, start dicing the vegetables," Soma instructed. She went to the cabinets and gathered everything she would need to make the desert, as it would take the longest to prepare. Soon enough, both chef's had all the prep work finished, with Soma narrating what she was doing while Bard watched her. This way he had a chance to learn and she didn't have to worry about another setback. She would give him hands on experience later...once the guest was gone. Now, Soma merely needed to cook the food when Sebastian instructed her it was time.
Hearing a noise in the hall, Soma poked her head out of the door just in time to see Mey-Rin trip while holding several boxes of expensive china. Soma gasped and moved forward to try and help the girl, but Sebastian reached her first. He managed to catch not only Mey-Rin but all the boxes without them breaking as well. Soma sighed in relief.
"Honestly Mey-Rin. How many times have I told you not to run inside the manor?" Sebastian questioned the maid, who sprang off of him like she had been shot. Mey-Rin stammered something about how her glasses had cracked and she couldn't see a thing anymore. Soma chuckled at the very obvious crush Mey-Rin had on Sebastian. It was a source of great amusement for her.
"It appears the preparations are coming along smoothly now. Why don't you relax a bit and leave the rest to me? I'll need you to do well, very well, during dinner tonight," Sebastian's expression went dark for a second, stressing the importance of how well they needed to behave tonight. Bard and Finny were a little afraid of that. Sebastian rarely repeated himself so to hear him say that meant they would be in serious trouble if they messed up. Mey-Rin was still in her fantasy world while Tanaka was calmly sitting against the wall.
"Don't worry Sebby. I'll keep these three in line," Soma said seriously. It was a very difficult task but she would do her best. Sebastian nodded at her.
"I'm counting on you Soma," he said solemnly. To an outsider, it would look like he was sending her off to war, instead of babysitting duty. "May I perhaps borrow your kitchen for a moment? It is time for the Young Master's tea," Sebastian requested. Soma shrugged and motioned to the door beside her.
"It's all yours. Be warned, Bocchan won't be fond of the tea if you pick an Italian one. They are more coffee drinkers so their tea is pretty weak compared to ours," Soma told him. The demon thought about it for a moment.
"I shall keep that in mind, thank you," Sebastian said nodding.
"No problem. Just let me know when it's getting close to dinnertime," Soma said. Sebastian gave his agreement and went inside the kitchen, leaving Soma with the three troublemakers and Tanaka.
The time before dinner was spent in one of the offices Ciel rarely used. The servants had turned it into a sort of break room, with Sebastian's permission of course. Soma did as she promised and kept the others out of trouble (and out of the way) by distracting them with a board game. Little did she know it was the same game her Master and their guest were currently playing.
"You are going to have to finish your game later," the amused voice of Sebastian said from the doorway, causing the trio to groan dramatically. Tanaka merely gave a 'Ho Ho Ho'. Easy for him to say, seeing as he was winning.
"Ye couldn't have come before I lost me leg?" Bard questioned him. Sebastian merely smirked in response. Soma rolled her eyes.
"Oh he did. He's been here since Finny was bewitched," Soma told them. There were many shocked exclamations from them. That had been three turns ago. Finny was bewitched by the eyes of the dead, Mey-Rin had fallen into a pit trap, and Bard lost his leg in the enchanted forest. Soma internally sighed in relief. It was her turn next so Sebastian probably saved her. All the spaces ahead looked bad for her. "After our guest leaves we'll come back to it. Maybe we can even get Sebby and Bocchan to join us," Soma suggested. Immediately the complaints about their luck were halted, replaced by excitement. The servants always loved it when they could get Sebastian and Ciel to join them.
"If the night goes well, I will mention the offer to the Young Master," Sebastian said. Soma smiled amusedly at him.
"You want to play and you know it Sebby," she teased, walking past him towards the kitchens. Bard followed her while chatting with the other three about the game.
Soma decided that she would handle the cooking solo this time. Bard was still undergoing training and wasn't quite up to the level she needed in order to have him assist her with the actual cooking. Prep work, he could do. But the actual cooking? There was a 9 out of 10 chance it would be burned or undercooked because he was trying to rush it. That type of dish simply couldn't be served to the Master or guest. They were Phantomhives after all.
"And done!" Soma exclaimed after putting the finishing touches on the dish. "A beef don made with commoner ingredients and high class meat. Interesting combo if I do say so myself. Good thing Dons are about the whole bowl and not any specific ingredient," she muttered to herself as she loaded the food and anything else needed for dinner onto the serving cart.
She pushed the cart outside and set the table, waving as the other servants hid inside a bush nearby. She had just finished placing the last bowl down when Sebastian appeared, leading Ciel and Damien to the table. Soma felt kind of blessed, being able to see the minuscule widening of Ciel's eye. He was shocked that his rose garden had become a stone garden in a few hours, though he hid his surprise well.
"Tonight's dinner is a Japanese dish known as donburi. It is a traditional dish served when something of great accomplishment has happened. Our master requested it as a sign of gratitude for all the work you've done for the company," Soma stated calmly. She was lying of course but Damien didn't need to know that. The guest was looking amazed. He was practically singing her praises just by the look and smell of the dish alone. Ciel took a bite of his own don, wielding his chopsticks like a native (Soma had given him lessons a long time ago), and nodded approvingly to her.
"But of course. Soma is my head chef. It is only natural that her skills match that position," Ciel said calmly. Soma smiled at the compliment her Bocchan gave.
"To go along with tonight's dish, a vintage has been selected that compliments the taste of soy sauce," Sebastian explained. Soma took that as her cue and grabbed the bottle. Normally, Mey-Rin would be the one to pour the drinks. However, with her glasses cracked Soma offered to take her place. Mey-Rin was actually quite grateful for her offer and was with the boys in the bush, watching how the dinner went.
Soma and Sebastian stood side by side throughout dinner, performing their tasks as needed. There was some talking between Ciel and Damien, however it was not work related. Once dinner was finished, Sebastian escorted Ciel and Damien back to the meeting room. Soma waited until they were out of sight before sighing in relief. Dinner went perfectly.
"Do you guys want to help me with cleaning the dishes? Then we can see if there's anything else Sebastian wants us to do before we return to the game," Soma asked. The other servants came out from the bush and were more than happy to help. Between the five of them, the dishes were finished in no time at all. Soma washed the dishes, then gave them to Tanaka, who delivered them to Bard and Mey-Rin, who dried them, and gave them to Finny who put them away in the cupboards. It was a very efficient system.
Soma had just stepped out the door when she collided with something solid. Luckily for her, that something happened to be Sebastian, who managed to catch her before she could fall and hit the ground.
"Thanks Sebby! I was just about to go find you," Soma said, carefully extracting herself from Sebastian's hold. He patted her on the head while the other servants joined them in the hall.
"I was looking for you as well. I was hoping Bard and Finny could move a portrait for me. I need to be nearby the Master in case he or our guest require something. Once the portrait has been moved, then the only things left to do are our normal nightly tasks," Sebastian told them.
"We can do that. Which portrait?" Bard asked. Sebastian told them, causing a somber mood to fall over the group.
"The Master wants to take down the portrait of his parents? Why?" Finny asked looking sad. Soma sighed, drawing all eyes towards her.
"Probably because it reminds him of a time when they were still alive," Soma explained gently. "When my mother died, I couldn't stand to look at any of her photos. Dad wasn't much better. We ended up putting away most of them. It took me ages before I could move past my grief and remember the happy memories instead of the sad ones," she said. Nobody spoke for a long moment after that.
"We'll move the portrait to storage for when the Master changes his mind," Sebastian told them. Soma smiled, noticing how he said 'when' not 'if' Ciel changed his mind.
"Mey-Rin. Tanaka. Let's get started on sweeping while they do that. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get back to the game," Soma told them. She glanced over at Sebastian, who nodded at her. "If we are quick about it, Sebastian and Bocchan will join us," she said. That promise lifted everyone's spirits immediately and they all split up to finish their tasks.
It took a bit of effort (and assistance from Soma, Mey-Rin, and the ladder) to get the portrait down but Bard and Finny managed to do it without dropping it. With that done, Soma left Mey-Rin to continue sweeping while she returned the ladder to where it belonged.
Soma was on her way back to Mey-Rin when she heard a crashing noise, followed by Mey-Rin's scream. Soma quickened her steps and found Mey-Rin fretting over Damien, who's leg was obviously very broken.
"His leg!" Mey-Rin cried in shock, looking to Soma for help. "It's twisted all around!"
"Calm down Mey-Rin," Soma said, cupping the maid's cheeks and looking her straight in the eyes. "What we need to do is keep calm. We cannot help him if we panic," Soma explained. Mey-Rin took a deep breath and nodded, visibly calmer now. However when the two girls turned to assist him, Damien was on his feet and limping away from them. Sebastian appeared seconds later.
"Soma. Mey-Rin. Thank you for all your hard work today. You two may relax for the remainder of the evening. Do not worry, I will attend to our guest," Sebastian said before walking off in the direction Damien had fled towards. Soma watched him go with a blank face.
"Okay Mey-Rin. You heard Sebby. He'll handle everything. Let's go back to the break room and wait for the boys, Kay?" Soma guided Mey-Rin away and did her best to reassure the maid that everything was fine. Obviously their guest wasn't too injured if he was up and walking around. And no it was not your fault the bucket broke. Besides, Damien should have been watching where he was going, especially around the stairs.
Mey-Rin has finally bought Soma's reassurances and was back to normal a few minutes later. Just in time for the other three males to join them in the break room.
"Do you want to try finishing the game now or wait and restart it for when Bocchan comes?" Soma asked, secretly hoping they would pick the second option. A vote was taken and Soma groaned. 3-to-2 in favor of continuing. She spun the dice anyway. "Joy. My body is burnt by raging flames," said Soma sarcastically. As if on cue, a scream sounded throughout the manor, though the servants ignored it. This wasn't the first time screams echoed about during one of their board games.
With Tanaka as the ultimate winner, the group reset the board just in time for Sebastian and Ciel to enter the room. Sebastian was even holding the Lemon Meringue Pie That Soma has prepared for dessert. The rest of the time before bed was spent enjoying the pie and simply having fun playing games with Ciel. Soma smiled after seeing Ciel chuckling at Finny's reaction to being chased by a pack of wolves. She always enjoyed seeing Ciel acting like his old self.
"Oh and Bardroy. A man will be stopping by in the morning. Kindly inform him that we need our oven thoroughly cleaned," Sebastian announced out of the blue. Soma froze at the word 'oven', her grin slipping off her face.
"What did you do to my oven?" Soma question, her voice carefully blank. Sebastian acted as if he didn't hear her. "Sebastian Michaelis you better tell me what you did to my oven this instant!" Soma yelled, ready to attack the demon. Sebastian seemed to sense that, as he left the room without a word. Soma gave chase immediately, much to the amusement of everyone else. Their laughter followed Soma out the door.
Hearing that, Soma felt all her anger vanish. Ciel was laughing. A genuinely happy laugh. That more than made up for whatever Sebastian had done. Besides, he would be fixing it the next day anyway so it couldn't have been that bad.
So this is the only fic I've found so far that I didn't have anything that I wanted to change. I fixed a few spelling mistakes but that was it. I decided I would go ahead and post this as a new version to make it less confusing. I won't be posting any updates on the old version since I have this one now instead. I hope everyone enjoys this story! Please Review, Follow, and Favorite!