Author's Note: You guys are simply amazing, I'm glad so many of you are reading this piece.
promocat: I wanted to make Alois a little easier to understand. In the series I know his back story involves abuse however I also wanted him to potentially hook up with Ciel, because honestly it didn't explain why Alois was constantly making moves on Ciel.
MickisCloud: Thanks for the compliment, I know this plot is a little over used, however I just couldn't resist Sebastian pastries, the combination was far too good to pass up.
LittleTrancyGirl: I'm glad you are enjoying my work so far.
Thank you, MickisCloud and Aiza173 for adding me to your alerts. Aiza173 I also want to thank you for not only following, but also adding this piece to your favorites, and both following and adding me to your favorites as an author.
I want to thank LittleTrancyGirl, some how you didn't make it on the list last time, but thank you for adding me to your alerts.
On with the Chapter!
Chapter 5: Dessert 3: The Bitterness of Chocolate
The night stormed on as Sebastian wiped the sweat from his brow, the ovens were roaring as one person after another ordered a slice of the now famous Raspberry Trance Cake, a new signature dish of Ciel's. He leaned over the workbench, his eyes were locked on the flowers he was piping onto each piece, his hands were steady as he continued to decorate, even the green leaves came out perfectly. There was only one issue, Ciel was yet to order, Sebastian had heard from the other chefs that Ciel ate every night on the floor. For him to not arrive yet was unusual. "Special Order!" called Ronald loudly. It was the second night and Sebastian was still trying to get his bearings as he plated the dish. "Go!" he barked before turning his attention to the pastries resting on the trays. There were very few of the dark chocolate orange petit fours going out, and he began to question William's judgement. He sighed as he looked at the full cooling rack, it was a particular favorite of his, and yet so few people were eating it. "Perhaps the chocolate is too bitter," he mused as he looked over the small cakes.
He sighed and looked up to see Claude looking at all the dishes, except his, it annoyed him a little, the least the man could do was taste his food and tell him his thoughts on it. He hummed as he looked at the full tray, there weren't' any more desert orders, all people were eating was his Tranche. He knew it had been featured in the article as "The desert" to have at Ceil. However, it wasn't the only one. He made all of them, and his hands could attest to that. He groaned as Ronald called, "2 Special Orders!" Sebastian placed two pearl white plates on his table and cut the Tranche perfectly before placing it on the plate. It was the easiest thing to make and yet, they were going nuts for it. He looked at the petite fours again and was tempted to slip one in his mouth and find out why they weren't doing well. Perhaps he had gotten the ratio wrong, it was possible any chef would make the mistake.
The golden eyed head chef stopped before him and asked, "Micahelis, what's the matter?" His head snapped up after hearing the velvet like voice of the chef. "Nothing, chef," he responded without thought. Claude smiled as he slipped his golden fork out of his pocket and cut into one of the cakes without warning. He slowly slipped it into his mouth and hummed, his pink tongue darted out of his mouth and caressed his bottom lip to get the chocolate that was sticking to it. Sebastian found himself staring at him as he did this, he had seen people eat his pastries before, however none of them had a heated predatory gaze as they did so. He adjusted his glasses with his fingers, "It's different, not as sweet, yet not bitter. Spears had mentioned this earlier," he commented. Sebastian paused, he didn't think Claude was paying attention to his work, "The leaves are new, unless Spears nicked one before you finished icing it," he commented.
Claude had been paying attention to his work, contrary to his beliefs. "Then why isn't it moving?" asked Sebastian with a hint of irritation. The head chef paused and looked at him blankly, clearly he had no idea either. He was about to say something when Ronald walked over and stated, "Ciel is in the restaurant with his mother, father and Alcester Chambers, Alois' uncle." There was dead silence in the room, "What?" asked Claude there was a hint of disbelief in his voice and something else. Ronald nodded and looked at Sebastian, "Ciel has also requested that come time for dessert that Sebastian delivers it," Ronald added. The raven haired chef froze, he was expected to go out on the floor, the only time a chef did this was when the critic called them out. He nodded slowly and looked at the desserts, "Keep us posted," demanded Claude. Ronald nodded and returned to the floor.
Waiting on the other side in a room filled with soft violin music and the sound of shakers as liquor was mixed was the Phantomhive's and Alister. The atmosphere was warm throughout the floor and invited diners to enjoy the evening. Ciel's icy cold sapphire eyes floated over the floor as he looked at the guest laughing and enjoying their evening. None of them knew that he had planned to bring his Pastry chef onto the floor and command him to give him his best. He sat there smiling smugly when Alois walked over, he had changed out of his vest and apron and was now standing in a suit. "Alois, I'm glad you gave him time off so he could join us," commented Chambers. Ciel looked at the glass of wine on the table and picked it up with ease, William had introduced him to a sweet Burgundy which he honestly loved. Elizabeth returned from the powder room and looked at him.
She had changed out of the stereotypical pencil skirt into a dress which was supposed to grab his attention. Yet all Ciel cared about was the look on his Pastry Chef's face as he walked out of those doors. To be honest he wasn't originally planning to execute this, however Alois actually had a point. It would boost the attention which, Ciel was so deprived of and serve as a wonderful way to level the hot headed chef out. Vincent and Rachel were chatting over how well prepared the lobster was and he sighed, he wasn't into lobster and the only reason he had brought his parents was to prove to them he was capable of running this place. "Ciel, Claude is simply wonderful, please give him my regards," Rachel stated as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. Vincent didn't look convinced and looked at his son, "Ciel, we know Claude is superior in taste with entrees however that isn't what we came here for," he stated.
Ciel chuckled and nodded to Ronald who darted into the kitchen, "I'm well aware of what I told you, and you are about to witness it, in a tranche," he paused as Sebastian left the safe zone of the kitchen. His jacket was immaculately clean and, there was a hush which filled the room, he looked confident and calm as he walked across the floor. This wasn't the expression Ciel wanted nor the dish. He was expecting the Trance cake, not one of Sebastian's petit fours. Internally he was both fuming and panicking, Sebastian had a move of his own. A number of women stared at Sebastian as he walked, it was as though he had enchanted them with his charm, something which was working even on his fiancée. He glanced over to see Lizzy's lips parted and green eyes locked on his lean figure. Rachel was speechless as he stopped before the table with a tray of desserts in hand. Sebastian's hands didn't even shake, he looked firm and strong.
"Good evening, at Ciel's request I made a pastry which I felt exemplified who I am as a Pastry Chef," he said after a moment before placing a plate before each individual with a single small cake in the center. Vincent looked at Sebastian in confusion, his eyes narrowed and then to the cake. Ciel sighed and looked at the chef, he wasn't about to rip him apart on the floor without tasting it, somehow Sebastian had managed to pull himself together. Perhaps he would reward the chef if it tasted decent. He picked up his fork and slowly cut into it, his eyes widened as he watched the fluffy cake bend and then bounce back. Sebastian didn't usually use chocolate, he had yelled at Ciel for that when they first met.
He slowly took the corner he had cut off and put it in his mouth. A medley of spices and orange erupted with the chocolate to tie it together. He hadn't tasted something with this many layers of flavor in a desert in a long time. Sapphire eyes fell to the plate as he looked at the ornate blooming orange rose with green leaves at the base. It's stem wrapped around the edge and, only now did he realize the intricacy of the frosting, the combination of tastes and the bitter nip of chocolate on the tip of his tongue. Determined red eyes looked at Ciel and he paused, he honestly didn't waver he had served the dessert which reflected him. He could tell the base was a tort base, light fluffy, airy and very difficult to make.
"This is heavily," commented Rachel as she went to cut another piece out of the small cake. Vincent finally picked up his fork after hearing his wife's commented and took a bite, Ciel couldn't believe how his father's face change. It went from an expression of suspicion to admiration. Aleister Chambers took a bite and hummed with glee. "Oh my, so light and airy. Just like a maiden in a long flowing silk gown. Yet dark and mysterious, oh how she tease the tongue with her charm before giving it a final nip, before you lose yourself to her grasp. Such a venus!" he cried in exaggeration. If there was one thing that Alois thankfully didn't have it was that man's sense of show. Alois took a bite and smiled before nudging Lizzy to do the same. "What's it called?" asked Lizzy after humming to herself.
Sebastian smirked and responded, "Chocolat noir et orange avec l' épices, it's a Petite Four. We used to call it Amalie at school." His tone didn't waver in the slightest and Ciel felt as though Sebastian was simply showing off for the diners. He smiled and looked at his chef, he didn't think it was possible for a pastry chef to be that clean, "Sebastian, you should demonstrate your skill sometime for us, I would like to watch how you work," commented Ciel with a grin. This had to irritate or unnerve Sebastian, yet nothing showed on his face, "Why?" asked Sebastian after a moment, he looked slightly puzzled, yet his cool façade was still in tact. Ciel sighed and sat back in his seat with his arms crossed, "Simple, I want to know how you can remain so clean while making pastries," he commented.
There was a murmur and Ciel knew he had Sebastian just where he wanted him, "Simple sir, I have two coats," he replied, with a smile. Ciel paused when he heard the chuckle through the room, "Quite a cute Patissier, clearly in this case the pastry is as handsome as the chef," whispered Elizabeth to Alois. The blonde chuckled and responded, "I told you he was cute." Elizabeth laughed which irritated Ciel, even his fiancée though Sebastian was a beauty. "If you will excuse me owner, I have to finish a Souffle for table 9," he said graciously before leaving the table. Vincent was smiling and looked over at his son, his brown eyes locked on his son's sapphire eyes. "It appears that you've hired yet another skilled chef," he commented. Ciel simply grind, Sebastian was playing that cooler than he had anticipated, obviously Sebastian was giving it his all. "Yes he is rather talented, oddly he called one day and faxed in his resume," commented the slate haired young man. He slipped his fingers around the wine glass, Vincent was holding his cards close, usually he could read his father. Yet tonight, Vincent wasn't letting anything slip.
"Oh?" Vincent asked as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the wine which William had selected for the evening. Ciel nodded and pressed, "It was odd really, I hadn't even officially posted an advertisement for the open position," he commented. Sky blue eyes locked onto Ciel's profile, he could feel Alois' gaze of warning to Ciel. He shrugged it off, the blond was always trying to stick his nose in places it didn't belong. "Perhaps it was fate," Rachel gushed as she attempted to defuse the tension that was growing between the two parties at the table. Ciel chuckled and looked at his mother with amusement, "Fate, or someone intervene," he commented, before glancing at his father accusingly.
Vincent looked at Ciel and sighed, "I didn't have anything to do with this, Tanaka, we are leaving. Dinner was nice, however it is clear we have outstayed our welcome," he stated before getting up with ease and assisting his wife out of her chair. Rachel slipped a loose brown hair behind her ear and looked at Ciel angrily, the pair had been fighting since Ciel had inherited the restaurant. He knew it was wrong to antagonize his father however, he simply couldn't stand by and listen to his old man tell him how to do things. Tanaka appeared and smiled brightly, he was wearing a black tail coat which was customary of a Phantomhive butler. His gray hair was slicked back, and he smiled warmly at his master. He had served them for years, Ciel could remember his afternoons following Tanaka and watching him work. That was a long time ago and from what he could tell not even Tanaka was pleased with his success.
"Alois, tell William his selection of wine was excellent for the evening and thank you for reminding Grell to suppress his tendencies," said Vincent as he slipped into his coat and looked at the young man. Aleister was out of his seat and wrapped his arms around Alois, "Don't take so long to call me next time," commented Aleister before he walked away following Vincent and Rachel. The truth was that Alois didn't have to work, he was rich as well, he simply enjoyed being a bartender. It was unusual that he was a fan mixing liquor, however Alois later learned that it was because of the attractive men he could meet over a glass. "Ciel, why were you so cruel to them? You know they love you," asked Elizabeth after a moment. Ciel turned to her and noticed a stray blond hair hanging off to the side of her face, it must have slipped out of her bun.
The young man sighed as he gently slipped the trendle behind her ear and placed his hand on her cheek, "I know they do, however I want to prove that I'm worthy of them, that I am just as good, if not better, at business as my father," he responded with a small smile. He didn't want to be second best, he wanted his workaholic of a father to see how clever he was at business and prove to him that he was worthy of the Phantomhive name. Ronald walked over and tapped Ciel on the shoulder, "Sir, sorry to interrupt but Grell is flirting with another customer," he stated. Ciel groaned and rubbed his temples before getting up and pressing a kiss to Elizabeth's cheek, "Duty calls," he whispered before leaving.
Sebastian took a moment to breathe, he felt as though he were going to drown in his own fear after that incident. Ciel was clearly out for blood, and he was thankful he had pulled himself together long enough to face the owner. "Special Order Number 2!" shouted Ronald as he looked at Sebastian. There was a pause and Claude asked, "What's the second?" Ronald chuckled and pointed to Sebastian, "Amalie, a number of guests heard about it and want to try it as well," he commented. Faustus blinked and looked at Ronald in confusion, Sebastian simply smiled and plated the small dark brown cake with a vibrant orange rose on the top in a fluted cup. "Amalie," he said smoothly as he pointed to the plated Petit Four and Ronald collected it. Claude's golden eyes were locked on the treat and then he looked at Sebastian. His eyes seemed to follow Sebastian's hands as he worked, a smile curved the head chef's lips before he was called away to attend to another order.
Sebastian hoped he would be able to come up for air, only to be bombarded with dessert orders. Which, made him happy, finally the Spice cake was leaving the kitchen, even if the Tranche cake was also still being ordered a little more often. At one point Sebastian had nearly run out of the small cakes and had to make more. Oddly the decisive eyes of Claude Faustus didn't leave him often, he caught the Head Chef watching him and blush a little. He was slightly embarrassed by the fact that he was being watched so closely. It had been a while since someone actually watched him work simply for enjoyment, there was something different in the head chef's eyes as he watched Sebastian. His golden eyes were usually cold and distant as he watched the others cook. Judgemental and always looking for a mistake to be made. Yet, with Sebastian they were slightly softer and there was something else, enjoyment. Something which he had seen in a very long time.
At college professors watched him to evaluate his skill and often complemented how effortless he made things look, yet none of them ever watched him with a smile of joy. Usually they were smiling smugly as they used Sebastian to throw something in a student's face. Students often glared at him or envied him, which caused an uncomfortable rift to occur between himself the students and the faculty. It was nerve wracking to be treated like a tutorial, rather than a student. He wanted nothing more than to make beautiful dishes and have people enjoy them. Sebastian sighed as he looked up at the clock, it was closing time and he had spent the entire evening finishing his dishes on autopilot. It wasn't something he was proud of, however, he couldn't fight it either.
"May I?" asked a familiar velvet like voice, there was a single small cake left resting in a fluted cup a hand rested beside it, he had black tipped fingernails and it was as white as the flour he had used to make the treat. Sebastian looked up to see Claude out of his jacket and once again in his tee shirt and jeans. He pulled up a stool and perched on it, Sebastian stared at the man and finally nodded, "Sure," he responded. It was only now that he realized the rest of the chefs were gone. "I'm keeping you here aren't I?" asked Sebastian after a moment as he looked around, he still had to clean his station. The rest of the kitchen was immaculate, and Claude looked the same as when he had first arrived. "Take your time, I'm in no rush," he commented as he got up and pulled a silver fork from the drain. It was unusual to see him using this instead of his golden one, he had grown so accustomed to seeing it that he had a hard time adjusting to the silver implement which was now between his fingers.
Sebastian nodded and proceeded to cleaning the counter of flour, "You did well in front of Ciel, I noticed he was attempting to rile you up," he stated as he took a bite. He hummed, unsure of what to say except, "Thank you, chef," he responded in the most professional tone possible. He walked over to the sink and finished cleaning his nozzles for the pastry bags. "I heard he wants to watch you make these treats with his family and Elizabeth, do you know when?" asked Claude after a moment. Sebastian hummed as he continued to wash his pastry edge and replied, "No, he didn't schedule it, he simply mentioned it." He continued to wash the blade and watched the batter which had crusted the edge slip down the drain. His red eyes settled on the small cup which was filled with his icing tips.
"It's wonderful, the cake, but spears is right, it is a little on the bitter side," commented Claude. Sebastian slowly turned around as he began to dry his edge and placed each tip on a towel. He could feel Claude's gaze again, he wondered why he was being stared at so often. "That was intentional, I thought it would be refreshing," he commented as he slipped the edge in his bag. He prayed Claude couldn't see through him, "I see, I suppose we have another item to add to the menu," he commented after a moment. He closed his eyes and exhaled tiredly, he was still shaken by that nightmare, he hadn't eaten that morning and didn't feel hungry again. "Hey second-rate, what's wrong?" asked Claude gruffly.
Sebastian hissed at being called a second-rate and replied, "It's nothing, I'm fine." He slipped each of the caps into their white case and closed the lid before turning to him, "I'll let you know when Ciel wants to see my baking so the kitchen can be ready for it," he responded. He was about to walk away when Claude snatched his wrist. "You've been acting out of it for a while now Michaelis," he stated sternly. Sebastian was silent and looked at him, "Since you came in something has been off, if there's something I need to know you better tell me now, before the owner finds out," he stated. Claude's gold eyes pierced him like knives, calling him out and Sebastian sighed, "It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep last night," he replied before jerking away and walking over to grab his bicycle.
Claude leaned in the doorway and watched as Sebastian vanished into the night, "I'm not blind Michaelis, I know something is haunting you," he whispered. There was a tap behind him and he heard a familiar hum, "So you like the little pastry chef too, ne?" Claude sighed and leaned his head on the doorway, "What do you want Grell?" he asked with irritation. A hand with long red tipped nails appeared on his chest and Claude groaned, he had to deal with Alois earlier he wasn't interested in dealing with Grell as well. He was overwhelmed by the smell of Chanel Number Nine, "Oh come on Claude, you like him," commented the transvestite. Golden eyes closed as he remembered the expression on Sebastian's face in his office. He looked absolutely terrified of him, "Just concerned, he's one of us now, and it's my job to protect him," stated Claude firmly as he shrugged Grell's arms off. He turned around to see the redhead in a bright red dress with pumps on. "Oh come on, he's absolutely delicious," he commented, "If you don't go after him, I will."
Claude's eyes narrowed as he roughly grabbed the lapels of Grell's red trench and slammed him against the doorway, "If you dare to touch him, I will tear you limb from limb and feed you to my tarantula," he hissed. His voice was cold and intense as he whispered the treat to Grell. "Nod if you understand," said Claude as he pulled back and smiled darkly. Grell's green eyes were wide with shock, "I was joking Faustus," he stammered. He held his hands up as Claude slowly released the redhead's lapels causing him to fall to the floor. "He's been through enough and I'm concerned, I don't need you to fuck him up like you did Angela," he hissed. He could remember how the woman had gone on a tirade and attempted to kill Ciel that night after Grell had convinced her that he was the source of her pain. It was a known fact that Angela, Rachel's sister, couldn't have children and Grell made her believe that Ciel was the reason she was miserable.
Grell huffed and crossed his arms before getting off the floor, "Oh please, that's no way to treat a lady," he commented before storming out. Claude grit his teeth and hissed, "You aren't a woman, you're a death god. You're touch brings pain and suffering, don't even compare yourself to something as beautiful as a woman," he commented. Angela had nearly committed suicide that day after she had come to her senses. "You've changed Claude, you used to not care and now you're clinging to that Pastry Chef," commented Grell before he left the kitchen. Claude ran his hands through his hair in frustration before taking his glasses off and cleaning them. "Perhaps I am," he whispered, "Perhaps I am changing."
A pair of sapphire blue eyes gazed out the window of a black town car, "So that's what's going on," commented the amused owner. He had seen everything which had occurred and he decided that now was the time to play a little game. He pulled out his blackberry and typed a message to Alois, "Perhaps we should see who will fall first, I finally have a weakness Faustus," he whispered as he read over the text. "Now I'm going to strangle you with it, and remind you who is in charge," he stated. He wasn't about to be treated like that by his staff, he looked like a fool at dinner, as well as earlier that day when Claude had stormed into his office and demanded an explanation as to why Angela was invited. He didn't need to justify himself to his staff, he was the owner and they were his employees, nothing else. "This will be fun," he commented after watching the message leave his phone.
Ciel Phantomehive:
Alois, I think we should have a little game. You have a crush on Claude and I want to punish the pastry chef for embarrassing me tonight. Who ever can get the other to fall first wins a case of tequila. Interested?
I also want to thank Manake and Colleen, you guys were helpful with this chapter and thanks for serving as a sound board.