…

WISDOM TOOTH

…

Chapter 5: Easy as Pie

…

In retrospect, I realize that chapter 4 did not have a clear winner in the psychological battle. I apologize if it was unsatisfactory; as I explained before, I had to split the chapter due to excessive length (I don't like stretching chapters over 3k words, though I do it sometimes).

I also realize that Sebastian hasn't received much screen time. Unintentionally, this fic has become Ciel-centric, and is more often than not from his POV. I will try to bring out Sebastian's distinctive rich, dark, sly, seductive, alluring, twisted, cunning, manipulative, demonic personality better.

…

Ciel sighed in relief as he lounged in his favorite armchair. It was the first relaxed and peaceful moment of the day, with no Soma to bother him and no Sebastian to taunt him with mind-games. Although, to be fair, the Indian had shown surprising sympathy and understanding, not to mention helpfulness. Ah, the clove oil had really worked miracles on his tooth, and indirectly, his mood.

Briefly he wondered whether his butler was enjoying his mission. Ciel had tried to make it as long and painstaking as possible; revenge for the piece of cake incident.

…

Much to Ciel's horror and dismay, Sebastian made it back in barely an hour, a testament to his incredible demonic speed. And needless to say, the black-clad butler was not pleased.

Feigning nonchalance while trying to maintain his poise in face of the sheer killing intent oozing out of the black-clad hellion, Ciel extended a skinny hand for the documents. "Hmph. You were quite fast. Eager to return, perhaps?"

"It was only to be expected, young master. After all, this sort of task is easy as pie for one of my abilities…"

Ciel rested his head between his hands with a low groan. Great. The mental torture begins anew. Only this time, Sebastian was back with a vengeance.

…

…

And so it went, for the rest of the day. Discussing the games segment was marginally better than the detailed reports of the chocolate factory. Marginally, but not much.

"Critics have claimed 'mousetrap' to be the crème de la crème of strategy games…"

"The suggestions from the data collection department are certainly food for thought…"

What about food for the stomach, Ciel was tempted to ask, but in the end thought better of it. His growling stomach was a testament to his malnourished state; and if Sebastian chose to ignore the loud noises, a verbal request was not likely to make much difference.

Instead, he tried to act unaffected. "I trust the new product received a favorable response?"

Sebastian's voice oozed satisfaction; the product was his idea after all. "Indeed. It appears that the surveys we gathered last month have proved useful in gauging new trends. The new Funtom toys have exceeded all expectations. Revenues have topped the charts; in fact, they sold like hot cakes…"

"..."

A sly glance at the distracted master, who was quite lost in bakery land. It was certainly amusing how his previous intense concentration could be completed over-ridden by the mere mention of his favorite pastries. The demon eyed the lad bemusedly. The Earl's face had taken the expression of an addict under rehabilitation who had somehow got his hands on the forbidden drugs. Dreamy euphoria clouded his aristocratic features; for once, the boy actually looked his age. He reminded the butler of Finnny drooling over Sebastian's latest culinary masterpieces (he had no qualms about his skills, or indeed any degree of modesty; he knew that his preparations were all devilishly mouth-watering).

Grinning in a sensual manner that usually turned glacial ice-queens into infatuated fangirls, he leaned closer and whispered, "Would you like me to repeat that, young master?"

"...Eh?" Ciel was jolted out of his daydreams by Sebastian's face, which was much too close for comfort.

Clearing his throat awkwardly and trying to wipe away a bit of drool from his face, Ciel stuttered awkwardly, "Sorry, what did you say again?"

"I was merely stating that the young master's marketing efforts have borne fruit…"

"…Enough. We shall proceed to the Queen's letter."

…

…

The shift to watchdog matters did not prove any better. In retrospect, Ciel should have known.

"Oh yes, the prime suspect in the case, Lord Gyllenhal, is rumored to be a very powerful man, with diverse interests worldwide; they say he has a finger in every pie…"

Pie…..how long had it been since Ciel last sunk his teeth into the sweet but tangy goodness of blueberry pie…. chocolate been his favorite, but he would be more than willing settle for a modest apple pie now….or maybe-

"Ehem, young master, are you listening to me?"

The knowing grin on Sebastian's face confirmed Ciel's suspicions that the butler was well aware that Ciel's mind was wandering. Ciel also guessed that the demon knew exactly which direction Ciel's thoughts were taking. The Earl wondered briefly if the demon had a fair idea of how acutely the boy realized his hunger when his thoughts strolled in that direction, of how successful his little play with words was. Knowing Sebastian, he probably did.

"Young master…" Sebastian's tone was not annoyed in the slightest; his words carried the quiet amusement of a lenient teacher humoring his student. "Lord Gyllenhal…" he prompted encouragingly.

Thankfully, that brief reminder was enough to bring Ciel back into the flow of the conversation.

"Ah, yes, that overbearing fool. He has both means and motive for the crime. However, I find it hard to believe that such a bumbling idiot could actually weave an intricate web of deceit. He struck me as a loud, arrogant and full of empty bluster; subtle maneuvers and complicated plans seem quite beyond him."

Sebastian smirked, obviously pleased with the boy's deduction. "An accurate judgment, my lord; which leads us to the conclusion that there is another accomplice involved, the brains behind the operation, so to speak…"

"Do we have any leads on this accomplice?" Ciel leaned forward in interest. Whoever the perpetrator was, he or she undoubtedly possessed a very high level of cunning and intelligence, as well as the patience and diligence to successfully carry out the plan, all the while manipulating the insufferable Lord.

"There are a few suspects, the most promising one being the baroness of Quillich."

"The name seems familiar…" Ciel racked his brains, but could not recall where he had heard the woman's name before.

"Indeed, her ladyship is quite popular in the social circles. She has often been referred to as 'eye candy' for her stunning appearance…however one should not be misled by her looks and charm. In reality, the baroness is a sharp cookie, evidenced by her shrewd and ruthless business tactics. I have no doubt that she is the one pulling the strings…"

Ciel's mouth watered, despite his best efforts to keep his body under control. Candy….and cookies…..hmmm….cookies are reasonably healthy, aren't they? Well, healthier than cake in any case. That's right; a cookie is more of a biscuit than a sweet. Not too sugary, not too rich…unless of course it had chocolate chips on top…but what is a cookie without chocolate chips? …He had heard of a different variety, named almond cookies; perhaps they would be-

Sebastian cleared his throat, forcibly dragging the Earl back from his fantasies.

Biting on his tongue to keep himself from salivating, Ciel bit out a bit forcefully, "So she's the one behind it all? Hmmph, no matter. Whoever the perpetrators are, they shall be eliminated. It is the will of the Queen."

"Very well, young master. I shall begin the preparations to deal with the Lord and Baroness shortly."

Ciel was skeptical. "Shall we leave this to the Scotland Yard? I see no reason for personal involvement."

This brought a smug smirk to the butler's refined features. "Not to worry, young master. I can handle this myself. What sort of butler would I be if I couldn't even take care of an insignificant pest invasion? There is no need to involve the blundering local police; after all, too many cooks spoil the broth…"

Broth…was soup, wasn't it? Ciel scoffed. Such an archaic term; fit only for sailors' journals and historic novels. For his readings, he presumed that the word had probably been coined by the low income section of the general populace; in reference to the thick, gooey, lumpy mass that was served at factories and poorhouses. Of course; nothing but the finest was served at the Phantivehive manor, meaning that Ciel's soups were all painstakingly prepared, delicately blending exotic tastes, warming the body from throat to fingertips. Sebastian had also paid notice to Ciel's little quirks, like the fact that he preferred clear soup, and that he wasn't fond of vegetables floating on top, and-

"The matter is settled, then?"

Damn! I lost concentration again! Ciel mentally berated himself for his pitiful attention span, while maintaining his outwardly haughty façade. It wouldn't do to show weakness; though Sebastian's dirty underhanded tactics deserved firm reprimand.

By this point the young Earl was quite disagreeable, and was determined to protest anything and everything that Sebastian had to say, even if his mind didn't actually register the butler's suggestion. It was nothing more than a childish tantrum; of that Ciel was aware. Nevertheless, the boy was fixated on making the butler at least as miserable as he himself was, of not more. He had once claimed that he would drag his enemies down into the darkness with him; however that rule also applied to all those who were happier them himself when they had no right to be, especially if their happiness was at his expense.

"You have other things to deal with. Leave this matter to Lau; after all, he owes us a favor."

"Is it wise to give more power to the shanghai mafia, young master? You must realize the dangers of putting all your eggs in one basket. It is, to put things bluntly, a recipe for disaster."

"...Just leave it to Lau."

Sebastian persisted, though he knew the boy's mind was made up. Really, his stubbornness was compromising the quality of his work. "Are you absolutely sure, young master?"

Ciel frowned in annoyance, though secretly getting a kick out of irritating the black-clad demon. "Are you questioning my orders, Sebastian?" he demanded arrogantly, knowing full well that the butler could not refuse a direct command.

Sebastian sighed but acquiesced. "Very well; I shall contact him at once."

"Fine. Then you are dismissed. As Watchdog matters are now complete, I've decided it is well beyond our normal lunch-time. Set the table, Sebastian; I shall make my way downstairs."

"Ah… I'm afraid that lunch is not yet ready, young master. In fact, I would not be surprised if preparations for the midday meal have not yet begun." The butler pretended to look sorry, but the massive grin threatening to break out on his perfect face was clear proof otherwise.

A tic mark formed on Ciel's forehead; he face resembled a particularly nasty thunderstorm. In a voice dripping with malice, he inquired, "Would you be so kind as to explain to me why my lunch is not yet ready?"

Sebastian smirked; it was time for his ultimate winning move. "I'm afraid I was occupied with the unforeseen data collection the young master ordered, hence I could not oversee lunch preparations. If the impatient young master had not demanded the information immediately, I could have ensured that the food was ready before leaving."

You have only yourself to blame, the demon's expressions seemed to say.

Ciel reluctantly acknowledged defeat.

Touché, Sebastian. You win….for now.

…

…

Does this chapter seem a bit SebxCiel? I tried to put in more of Sebastian's personality and flair, but it ended up in a way I didn't expect. I don't actually read the yaoi stuff; this is just an innocuous mistake.

This was completed pretty late at night, so please excuse any mistakes!

I've recently fallen in love with the ItaHina pairing in Naruto; any other fans of this couple reading this? My favorite fic of this type is 'As Far As Innocence Goes' (the original version). I'm thinking of writing a little continuation to it…thoughts?

So now, the ItaHina ficlet sits in a little file on my laptop, beside the untouched ByakuyaOC and in-progress SebastianOC fics. It's a pity; coz I have so many little ideas to share with you guys!

Good night! (or good morning, or good afternoon, depends on where you are)