Autor's Note: I want to thank you guys for your amazing reviews and PMs! You guys are amazing and make this so much fun! The last chapter was well received which surprised me.
Rangurren, thank you for adding this piece to your Favorites List. I'm glad you are enjoying it.
Shane: Thank you for your review, I'm glad that you are interested however I will tell you this, who finds Sebastian is the last one you would expect.
AnnetteRuby: Angela is my least favorite character in the series. I needed a debt collector, and she seemed like the obvious choice. You'll find that she is interesting in the way she treats Sebastian, as for her abuse she sees Sebastian as a commodity. Not a person. I'm glad you love the drama, things are about to be even crazier.
Promocat: Well Sebastian's father isn't the nicest guy, and I feel bad for him too.
Elle Yeah: I'm glad that you enjoy the detail in my story and the style I write. You have no idea how nice it is to hear that you hang on every word. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Updating will vary in time once I really start working and go back to college. By then I will have a schedule and post it at the bottom of the first chapter, if this series goes that long.
Ringo Juicu: As always I appreciate the review! I love your input, and I'm glad that you are enjoying the playlist. It takes a bit to select the right piece but they certainly add to the piece. I'm glad you liked the museum, I honestly thought that it would be something both Lau and Ran Mao would be willing to do. It was out there enough where you could see the man having a field day and enjoying himself. As I mentioned I dislike Angela, she's always been on the list of characters that I will always use as a villain. Finally you'll see who finds Sebastian, it's an interesting twist.
And now for the chapter!~
Chapter 9: Blood and Tears
The sting of the riding crop was intense as Sebastian slowly fell to the floor, "Pay us," demanded Angela. Sebastian stared at her pristine white boots and watched as she knelt on the floor. He shivered as he began to wonder what she would do to him next. Her cold fingers forcefully gripped his chin, she harshly yanked it so his eyes were looking directly at hers. "If you don't I will have to sell you," she hissed before releasing his chin, "He's had enough, I think he understands," she called as she stepped over the fallen chef. Once the door was shut Sebastian finally released the tears which had threatened to fall during the beating. His chest stung, she had given him a total of 8 lashings, between her taunting and rough blows to the stomach if he tried to speak.
He closed his eyes and began to wonder if he was actually a thing to be bought and sold. An item on a shelf which, people could purchase and command to do as they pleased. He didn't ask for this, he didn't ask for his father to borrow money from Angela and her goons. He hadn't asked to be put in the kitchen from hell, he never asked for any of this pain. He was drowning in it, the nightmares the false hopes of love and affection, all of it was too much. Sebastian slipped his hand into his pocket and reached for his mobile, he had to call someone, he was in too much pain. It wasn't until he looked at the phone that he realized there was only one person's number in the phone. It was Soma's number for work at Ciel. He couldn't call that, there would be questions which would somehow find their way to the owner's hands and he would surely be fired. "Maybe I really am worthless," he mumbled before passing out.
~~xXx~~
It had been three days since Claude had told Sebastian he was gay, and the pastry chef was avoiding him like the plague. He didn't even catch Sebastian looking at him anymore, clearly something was wrong. Over the last few days he had grown paler and slightly more jumpy. The simple sound of a pan being dropped was enough to make him jump out of his skin. His deserts looked and tasted good, yet something was different. They seemed cold and dead. The warmth which had made him the obvious choice had left them, now they seemed lifeless. Even Amalie that had charmed a number of customers seemed to be a whisper of what she had been. None of the customers had noticed that there was something wrong with the chef. The compliments and reviews flowed in papers and through the doors with ease.
The chef sighed and he looked up from the dough, the spark which had been kindled as he baked was gone. Claude tisked as he watched the lifeless chef return to frosting the small cakes on the tray before him. "Food is a reflection of the heart and soul. When the heart is in turmoil, the chef's food changes taste," he whispered as he watched Sebastian add yet another perfect rose to the top of the cake. "When they are pain, it shows in their food," he whispered. Ronald came through the doors with a plate in hand, a single bite of the beautiful cake had been taken. Claude's eyes widened there was only one reason for the plate to be returned. There was silence in the kitchen as Ronald placed the plate before Sebastian.
Claude swore he saw what was left of Sebastian's pride vanish, there was no hope left. His eyes fell on the plate, "The complaint?" asked Sebastian softly. His eyes didn't leave the bone white plate now sitting on the bench. All of his attention was on the small cake, nether seemed to matter anymore. "It's lifeless and tastes terrible" he replied. The pastry chef looked at the plate blankly, it was as though this were the first time Sebastian had ever had a plate sent back. "Michaelis?" asked Ronald as he attempted to call the chef's attention, he looked slightly panicked as he did so. The raven haired chef didn't look up, he couldn't.
The Head Chef couldn't stand this, his feet carried him across the floor and he looked at Sebastian. "Micahelis, snap out of it! What did you do differently?" demanded Claude. He was both shocked and nervous, Sebastian wasn't the most stable however for this to occur there had to be something wrong, perhaps it was as simple as a ratio being off. "Nothing," replied Sebastian as he slowly peeled his eyes off the plate, "It was all the same." In a flash Claude was holding a golden fork in his hands and tasting the pastry. To someone without a sensitive palate this would be wonderful, yet as a chef he knew differently, and clearly the diner did as well. "Okay, tell Spears to give him a bottle as an apology, he will know what to pick if it's who I think it is. Make sure he isn't too obvious and that the diner hasn't made a mistake," Claude quickly stated. Ronald was about to question when Claude pointed to the doors, "Go, if you wait too long they will wonder what happened," he barked.
The blond jumped and nodded before heading back onto the floor with his well rehearsed smile and manners. Once he was gone Claude turned his attention to Sebastian, "Finish that batch and take a break, you look tired," he stated bluntly. He was about to ask what was going through his head until he heard Canterbury call, "Chef! This doesn't look right!" It hurt but Claude had to attend to the issue first, "Pull yourself together Michaelis," he hissed before heading to the other side of the kitchen. He hated seeing such a fiery chef like this, he had to find out what was wrong, every time Sebastian moved a certain way there was a look of pain in his eyes.
"Michaelis," called an all too stern and familiar voice, Claude looked over to see Spears had entered the kitchen, it had to be bad if he was here. Ciel usually sent him to chew Claude out when something wasn't to his liking. William was a perfectionist and knew his craft, stern and tough, yet this time there was a look of pity in his eyes, something he didn't show Claude. Then again William was another person who was enthralled by Sebastian's taste. "Yes?" asked Sebastian as he finished plating another petite four. His hands stilled for a moment as though he had forgotten something. "Ciel wants to see you tonight, once the guests have gone of course," William said slowly. It was taking everything the Sommelier had to not question the pastry chef and Claude could tell. A sigh lift Sebastian's lips and he nodded, "In his office?" he asked slowly. William's hair shifted slightly as he nodded, the gesture was small and slightly nervous.
"I understand," replied Sebastian as he went to another oven and pulled out a tray of puffed pastries. William disappeared from view and Claude watched as a lifeless chef continued to craft his food. If he wasn't working he would pull Sebastian into his office and demand an answer, it was bad enough he was late for work the day after the gallery opening. He had thought it was because they had exhausted him, hosting an event plus working that evening was a great deal of baking and would stress anyone out. He was stiff then, Claude shook his head, and began to wonder what had happened between now and then.
"What's the problem?" asked Claude as he looked at Canterbury. The small chef pointed to the pot and stated, "Thin." It was supposed to be a cream sauce and it had the consistency of water, which meant the rue was wrong. Either Canterbury didn't add enough flour to the base or added the cream too quickly. "Turn it down and leave it alone for a seconds to allow it to stiffen up, then raise the heat slowly," he directed as he reached across the stove and turned down the burner. It was a simple mistake, yet it would alter the perception of the dish. In the kitchen it is possible to fix some mistakes by altering taste, temperature and even purpose. It is even possible to restart when the element simply isn't working, life didn't work that way. One shot to nail it, even if it were seconds and you had to decide between one thing or another. Without a chance to fix it, there were many times he wished he could simply throw out something he had said or done and amended it.
"Chef, it's still too thin," commented Canterbury. The head chef looked at the pot and sighed, he didn't have time to remake it, however there was no way to alter it and still call it the same dish. "Remake it, just a smaller batch it's nearly the end of the night and I don't want to have to throw anymore away," said Claude smoothly. The violet haired chef blinked before going to make the rue from scratch again. "You seem irritated," Claude turned to see Hannah was standing there grinning from ear to ear. He was expressionless, he still couldn't believe at one point he honestly thought of marrying her. It wasn't until he had heard her talking to friends that she had no interest in him but money. He hummed and looked at her, "Yes, you're talking to me and not cooking," he spat. Hannah grinned and tapped her finger to her chin, "If I didn't know better, I'd say it's because you're concerned for your little pậtissier," she commented. Claude ignored her taunt and returned to work, "You should watch your skewers, they're rather dull and tearing rather than piercing," he commented before walking away. Tanned fingers picked up one of the long metal rods and she tested the tip with her finger, "All the more painful," she muttered as she picked up her sharpening rod and began to sharpen the tip.
~~xXx~~
Sebastian found himself standing outside of the door of Ciel's office, he knew he messed up as soon as the plate came back, it was the first which had ever been returned to him. The pain of looking at something which he knew was perfect being thrown back in his face and labeled rancid was more than enough to shatter what little pride as a chef he had left. He slowly lifted a hand to knock on the door, he couldn't afford to lose this job. Angela would see to it that he paid her, no matter the method. He slowly knocked on the door, the sound echoed in his ears as he waited for permission to open the door. He was going to face the little master of the Phantomhives, who was already not impressed with him. "Enter," called the all too familiar and nerve wracking voice. The pậtissier slowly pushed the door open and entered the office, leaning against his desk was the slate haired owner.
Ciel was dressed differently than when they had first met, he was wearing a slimming two piece suit without a tie, he could see the beautiful navy blue fabric resting on the desk. His arms were crossed and his eyes were filled with fury. "Close the door," commanded Ciel, his voice was icy and distant. Sebastian obeyed for fear that the owner would do worse to him if he didn't. Getting fired wasn't something he could afford. The door clicked as he pulled the golden handle, a sign that he couldn't run, not now. Sapphire blue eyes pierced him, evaluating him silently, determining his value. "Sit," Ciel hissed as he gazed at the chair directly in front of him. Sebastian drew a deep breath and summoned all the courage he had left as he crossed the floor, he was terrified. The consequences of this meeting were far too great and he really needed someone to save him.
He settled in the dark wood and bright leather red chair before the young man, it was more comfortable than it looked. However, with Ciel's hardened gaze he felt as though he were sitting on a bed of nails. "A plate was sent back to the kitchen, do you know who sent it back?" asked Ciel gruffly as he glared at the chef. Ronald hadn't said who it was that sent it, he could remember Claude's instructions to the head waiter to have William compensate the diner. He seemed to know who it was however no one told Sebastian. "Stephen Black," replied Ciel firmly, the name spoke for itself. Stephen Black was a famous critic around the world, a brutal man who had the power to make or break a chef. He could be the saint who placed a chef on a pedestal or, "The Undertaker," whispered Sebastian as he closed his eyes. His stomach churned, he would surely be fired for this.
"Thankfully since he is a family friend I convinced him to come back tomorrow so he can meet you," Ciel began, "Luckily he had tasted your dishes at the gallery and was brought a treat by William when they met." Sebastian looked up, he was going to have to face the man tomorrow, he had several hours to get his head straight to do it. "Apparently the two were colleagues," said Ciel with the wave of his hand, it was apparent he didn't care about that detail even though most owners would, "He's willing to give you a second chance." Sebastian noticed that the cold look in Ciel's eyes didn't fade and had a feeling there was a punishment involved for embarrassing him. He would expect nothing less of him, "Second chances are rare, if you screw this up he may take another star," hissed Ciel.
Sebastian paused, the Undertaker had taken the first of the 5 stars from Ciel. If he were to drop a star this could to serious damage to the restaurant and take a long time to recover, especially if the review were from the Undertaker himself. The amount of damage which could be done by one review of the man was enough to close restaurants indefinitely and cause chefs to quit. His chest still stung from Angela's beating, it wasn't bleeding as badly as it had the day after, however there was no way he could take his coat off. "You will have to wear the white jacket, he is very particular, and our kitchen only allows the head chef to wear black," he stated. Sebastian's eyes widened, he didn't read that clause and Ciel could tell he was startled, "You are the pậtissier, and to be honest we don't have a white jacket in your size." Sebastian was still nervous, his wounds would reopen periodically, it was bad enough he could feel the blood seeping into his shirt under the coat as they spoke.
"What?" asked Sebastian in confusion. Ciel sighed and continued, "He's old school, just wear the coat you did in college, he'll probably let that slide." Sebastian still had that one but it wasn't thick enough, if he were to break the scabs because he moved wrong it would seep through the coat. "I think so," he commented, "I'm not sure, I did move here recently and most of my stuff is still in boxes." Ciel rubbed his forehead with his fingers, he looked slightly more annoyed, "Then speak to Claude, he should have something that fits you," he commented. That was worse, first his employer and now his boss were asking him to change. He stared at Ciel and then at his hands, he couldn't allow it, he didn't want pity.
"Michaelis it's a coat," he commented, he sighed and looked curious at something. "Hang on, you've got filling on you, didn't you at least look at yourself in the mirror before coming to see me," he commented. Sebastian hadn't taken the time, he didn't want to see his ghastly face staring back at him. Ciel took a handkerchief and was about to wipe it away when Sebastian instinctively slapped his hand away. "What the bloody hell Micahelis! You've got what looks like filling on your chest," he commented as he forcefully dabbed the blob. Sebastian grit his teeth, it was right above one of the welts Angela had been courteous enough to give him. "There," he said with a hint of finality, "Honestly you're hopeless, you look like shit, and you honestly need to stop jumping, I'm not firing you. However if you continue to endanger my restaurant I will," he stated gruffly.
Sebastian stared at the once white handkerchief, where he had dabbed the filling away was tainted with red, a crimson flower had bloomed on the once pristine handkerchief and he felt a wave of fear crash into him. He couldn't afford for Ciel to look down. "What the devil are you staring-" he looked down at the handkerchief and his eyes widened, "-You, this is," he stammered. He looked closer at the handkerchief and Sebastian jumped from his seat, he was in trouble now, "Blood," Ciel stated, his sapphire eyes were wide with fear and shock as he reached for the chef. "Take your coat off," he demanded, his white hands reaching for the black buttons on the article which was hiding the injuries that covered his chest. "I," stammered Sebastian as he pulled back toward the door. His deft fingers found the handle blindly as he pushed the door open. "I'm sorry I had nicked my finger before and rather than getting blood in the food I held it to my chest as I ran to rinse it," he lied. Ciel looked skeptically at Sebastian's face, he was unable to see the chef's hands. "Then why are you trying to run?" asked Ciel, he wasn't convinced.
Sebastian smiled nervously, "I just remembered I left the ovens on, I need to turn them off," he replied. Ciel sighed and shook his head, "Fine, just pull yourself together for tomorrow and get some fucking sleep, you look like a ghost," he hissed. Sebastian sighed with relief he was going to get out and still had a job, he had been warned but a warning was far better than being fired. "Yes, I apologize," he stated before promptly leaving. He was free and Ciel didn't demand much more, now all he had to do was wrap his chest tight enough to hide the blood as he cooked tomorrow.
~~xXx~~
Claude was doing a once over in the kitchen and noticed Sebastian's things were still out, and the ovens were still on. "He's still with Ciel?" he asked curiously as he waited a moment, he wanted to speak to Sebastian, something was very wrong and he knew it. He hummed after a few minutes and decided to help by turning the ovens off, it was the least he could do. He turned the knobs when he noticed something odd on the floor, it was a small bright red dot, he nearly missed it.
"Huh?" he muttered as he slowly knelt down and looked at it closer. It looked as though it had dripped off one of the wrappers from a chicken. He looked at the red flower on the floor, his hands sifted through his pockets for one of the napkins he always carried. He gently dabbed it up and sniffed it, it was blood and smelt more metallic than a chicken's, it was human. "Blood?" he asked after a moment. There was only one person who used these ovens they were reserved for the pastry chef. He froze after suddenly realizing whose it was. He felt his own blood run cold, Sebastian was injured and working, he had to know just how badly he was hurt and what caused it. He rose from the floor, now the pain made sense, it all made sense.
"Why didn't he say anything," he whispered in anger as he looked at the napkin. His job was to protect his chefs, yet Sebastian was wandering around injured it irritated him. Before he realized it he was in the hallway eagerly looking for the chef, praying he could catch him and talk to him. He should have noticed sooner, his food was so dead it hurt. "Fuck, where are you?" he asked as he looked around the dining hall and continued through the building.
~~xXx~~
The stinging in Sebastian's chest didn't subside, he didn't want to use the bathroom at his workplace, however he couldn't take the stickiness on his skin much more. He paused as he walked into the break room and opened the bathroom door. He was thankful the handkerchief only picked up a small amount of blood. It would have been worse if Ciel had dabbed more, he wouldn't have been able to lie. He hated lying but telling the truth would raise too many questions. Far too many. A hiss left the raven haired chef as he slipped out of the black coat. It honestly hurt to move, the simple twisting motion caused him more pain than he imagined possible.
He sighed as his eyes locked on the ghastly reflection in the mirror. The large welts were raw and still bleeding; he had popped them open again. The blood ran like ribbons down his chest as he stripped his tee-shirt away. He slowly touched the deep wounds with the tips of his fingers, it stung, and he could see the bright red liquid on his pale fingers. His brows furrowed as he thought of all the blood he had shed over the years, the punishments he had received from Father Francis, falling out of trees and off walls, the time be had burnt his arm on the stove, nicking his fingers with knives as he learned how to use them, wrecking his roadster, and now this beating. When he thought about it, he had shed more blood than most and was covered in a great deal of scars. There had been one thing to cling to through it all, pastries.
Which now, he was told weren't even right, "What do I do now?" he asked as he slowly turned the faucet on and picked up a wad of paper towels. He dampened them and began to gently dab his wounds, he would have to rewrap them when he got home, but this would ease some of the stinging. Ciel was expecting him to work magic and Sebastian now doubted if he were able to. He turned off the faucet and bowed his head, his pale hands gripped the edge of the sink and he muttered, "Can I really bake a pastry that will enchant the man?" he whispered. Ciel had given him a day to get his head straight and pick something that would enthrall the man. He seriously began to doubt he could. "Someone, help me," he muttered.
The door swung open violently causing the chef to jump, standing there was the young concierge "Oh sorry sir, I just need to-" his eyes widened, "What happened to you?" Soma stood there staring at Sebastian's chest, he was at a loss for words for a moment. After a rather long pause he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "You know, I don't care about your hobbies or fetishes but you should really take care of things like that," said Soma as he looked at the welts on Sebastian's chest. Hazel eyes were locked on the blood and he slowly walked over to the pậtissier. "Here," Soma said softly, "I'll help you out."
Sebastian jumped a little and looked at him nervously, Soma seemed like a nice guy, he could just hope no one told Ciel about his injury. "Soma? Are you in there, come on I have a wonderful batch of," Agni opened the door and stared for a moment. He looked every more shocked than Soma had, he swiftly closed the door and stood there dumbfounded for a moment. It looked as though the Manager had to wrap his mind around what he was looking at. "Sebastian, who did this?" The use of his first name made the chef jump a little, yet he didn't reply. Soma's hands were tender as he slowly dabbed the damp cloth on Sebastian's chest. He put the stopper in the sink and continued to rinse the towel, it was tinting the water red as he attempted to clean the wounds. "It's a good thing Grell isn't here, he would go nuts," commented Agni, as he watched Soma tend to Sebastian.
"Sebastian, why don't you join us for dinner, I made a batch of curry and we could dress your wounds there," Agni said after a moment. His pale blue eyes never left Sebastian's chest as he said this. Clearly he wasn't comfortable, Sebastian drew a deep breath and nodded. "Good, put your jacket on," he said smoothly, "is your bagged packed?" he asked. There was a pause, Sebastian hadn't finished cleaning his station, Claude would be furious. "No," he replied softly, he was slightly ashamed to have not done so. "Soma, I'm going to collect his bag," Agni stated, "Help him get dressed." Soma simply nodded and continued to tend to Sebastian. Perhaps there were people out there who would help him. Or at least take some of the pain away.
~~xXx~~
Claude was panting he had tried everything to find Sebastian, his eyes fell on his messy tools. Naturally he was concerned, he had just found blood on the floor which he believed to belong to Sebastian. Why he hadn't noticed this earlier eluded him, he should have noticed that the man was bleeding. He gently picked up Sebastian's pastry edge and noticed the thick dough crusted on it. His gaze softened as he gently placed it along with a number of other items in a bowl and carried it to the sink. "It will get ruined if it stays this way," he sighed as he turned on the hot water and began to diligently clean each tool. They had all been washed and kept well, his eyes flitted over the brands, he didn't recognize half of them. As he gently removed the remnants of magic that seemed to be clinging to the tools he realized he was handling Sebastian's most precious possession.
It was as though he could feel the chef's emotions through these tools which he had used to craft pastries. He paused as his fingers swept over the wooden handle of a whisk, he could tell it was well used he couldn't seem to peel his eyes away from the simple tools Sebastian used to craft such magical treats. How Sebastian's hands caressed and gripped each one, the sheer beauty of his movements which had enchanted him the first time they met. "These are used to help you express your hopes and dreams. They allow another person to look into the soul through your food," he commented as he slowly placed each instrument in the drain. Claude's fingers plucked a tooth pick from a box which was in Sebastian's bag, and he began to clean the icing tips. "I wonder what has harmed you," he whispered as he finished cleaning the icing out of several tips.
"Why you are so lifeless," he muttered as he placed the tips on a towel and finished washing a different edge. "Talk to me," he whispered as he looked at the tools, "I know you're not your owner, but he's in pain and I can't stand seeing him hurt." He sighed after realizing he was talking to a bunch of tools. He would never hear a reply from them, it was impossible. A towel ghosted over them as he dried them, they sparkled in the light as he did so. He could remember the first time he had washed his knives, he had slipped the whisk in the bag and placed the rest of the tips in their case. He remembered the order Sebastian had them in and made sure to put them back that way. He lifted the pastry edge and looked at his reflection in it, violet hair, slanted amber eyes, sharp features and a square chin. All features which women went gaga for, yet seemed to scare most men. He wondered if this was the face Sebastian saw, the face of the man who fought to have him work there just to watch him bake. "I wonder if he has realized it," he muttered before slipping the edge in the black bag and zipping it closed.
Once sealed he placed it on the table and pulled a blank order sheet out of his pocket. He chuckled as he tapped a pen on the counter and wrote a note, he didn't intend to leave quite yet, but he had a few things in his office to attend to. He placed the note on the bag and wandered back into his office. About twenty minutes later he heard the kitchen doors open. His eyes widened with anticipation as he looked in their direction, he honestly hoped that Sebastian would be the one to walk through them. Only to see Agni enter, his heart fell a little, "Faustus?" called the Indian cautiously. Claude watched the man nervously, of course he was afraid of being in the kitchen, he was a demon in their eyes.
"This must be his," said Agni as he picked up Sebastian's bag. He paused when he saw the note and picked it up. Agni looked confused as he pocketed the sheet of paper and left the kitchen. Of course he was confused and Claude doubted that Sebastian would ever see the note. Perhaps it was better that he didn't at this point, it would make this easier.
Thank you AnetteRuby for pointing out the mistakes in the last chapter! I ran out of room in the top section... I need to work on that. Feel free to point them out it helps.
KDM.