The sun shone brightly through thin white curtains, playing off the crevices in the silky sheets of material. Alois's dark eyelashes fluttered open and he began to stretch out his limbs out of habit. His thin legs extended as far as they could and his arms were raised above his head. His small hands balled up and a quiet yawn escaped his lips. After the quick rush of endorphins disappeared, his limbs fell limp against the soft sheets and Alois nuzzled into them, taking in the unfamiliar, spicy scent. His head turned to the side and he buried his nose in the sheets.
'These smell amazing.' His eyes closed and he turned onto his stomach, brushing his face against the material. The sun shining through the window began to heat up his back, relaxing him and sending him drifting back to sleep. Before he floated away he heard a light and gentle tapping on the door. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Claude's tall figure leaning against the door frame. His shirt was loosely hanging from his shoulders. The buttons were undone and his creamy skin was bare, flashing Alois. His hair was disheveled a bit and his eyes looked tired and dark. Alois rolled over and sat up to face his host properly. Claude smirked and shifted a little against the dark wooden frame.
"Morning sunshine." Alois stretched again and rolled his shoulders. He took a quick glance around the room and furrowed his eyebrows. He shot a look at Claude before examining himself, touching his abdomen and thighs. His eyes were questioning and tinted with worry.
"Did.. we do anything last night?" Claude scanned over Alois's body and grinned devilishly.
"You tried. But we didn't." Alois blushed and hung his head, hiding his face in both hands.
"I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking." Claude stood up straight and made his way to the edge of the bed. He sat on the side and crossed one leg over his other knee. Alois peered from between his fingers, examining the man placed next to him on the bed. He lowered his hands and took in the man's exhausted looking features. He felt guilt swirling deep inside of his stomach.
"You know, you didn't have to bring me here. And you definitely didn't have to let me take your bed." Claude shook his head and waved his hand.
"Don't even worry about it, you're my guest." Alois glanced down at the sheets and twiddled his thumbs.
"But, you look like you didn't get to sleep at all last night." Claude shot a heavy lidded look up at Alois and Alois felt his gaze burning through him. Claude realized soon that he was staring and diverted his attention to a picture hanging on one of the walls in his room.
"That has nothing to do with you. I don't sleep well." Alois could smell alcohol radiating towards him. It was strong and by the look of Claude, he had probably had quite a few drinks and hardly any sleep. He pitied the man. He felt like he had done nothing but be a burden, depriving him of sleep, risking his own life the night before and making unwanted advances. Alois's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a cool hand being pressed against his forehead. He looked up, shocked and curious. Claude was focusing on the boy's face intently.
"You don't have a fever. You should get changed, I'm sure sleeping in those clothes was uncomfortable. I could have given you some last night but you were sound asleep. And I wasn't going to undress you myself." Alois blushed at the thought of Claude's hands pulling off his clothes and taking in his nearly naked body. He shook the thoughts from his head and tried to keep his temperature under control while Claude's hand was still pressed against his skin. Claude moved his hand and stood up, walking to a large set of doors aligning one of the walls in the room. He slid one of the doors to the side and walked into what appeared to be a large walk in closet. He came back out shortly carrying a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He placed them on the bed next to Alois and gave him a soft smile.
"Go ahead and get changed. I'll take you out to breakfast then take you home if you want. I'm sure Ciel is worried about you." Alois shot a look up at Claude and a sour look made its way onto his face. He was right. Ciel was probably terrified. He hoped deep down that Sebastian and the girl had kept him busy enough the night before. That way he would be less likely to notice Alois's absence. He nodded at Claude and picked up the sweats and shirt, sliding towards the edge of the bed over the silky, slippery sheets. Claude reached forward and caressed the boy's soft, blonde hair before turning around and walking out of his bedroom, leaving Alois to change.
Alois sighed and tried to push the thoughts of worry out of his head for the moment. He didn't want to think about Ciel being worried about him all night.
'He probably didn't even realize I was gone. I'm sure everything is fine.' He slipped his own shirt over his head and bunched it up before tossing it onto the bed. Next came his shorts. He didn't bother unbuttoning them, they just slid down and off with a little bit of applied pressure and soon joined the bundled up shirt. His small hands snatched up the sweats and he pressed them against his chest. The material was soft and comforting. He turned his head towards the door before he brought them up to his face, inhaling the scent. They smelled like Claude, and everything else in his apartment. A certain spice that pleased his nose. He snapped out of his daze and quickly slid the sweats on, tying the string as tightly as he could. Claude's build was lean but Alois was skinny and petite. The legs were too long for him so he knelt forward and tried to shove his feet through the holes completely. He heard a cough coming from behind him. He stood up quickly and spun around to see Claude standing there again, smirking and shaking his head.
"Need help?" Alois stared down at his feet, completely covered by the excess material hanging far past his feet. Claude glided up to Alois and pressed a hand against his shoulder gently. Alois sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as the slender man knelt in front of him. He grabbed one of Alois's feet and sat it on his thigh, beginning to roll the sweats up to his ankles. Alois couldn't help but giggle a little when Claude's skin brushed against his. He held a hand over his mouth and tried to avoid eye contact. Alois felt Claude's sweet golden eyes scanning over his bare chest. He couldn't keep his heart beat under control and his blood began to rush quickly through his veins. He tried to look at anything but Claude's face. His eyes wandered aimlessly around the room, scanning everything from the pointless chair in the corner to the doors leading to his walk in closet, to a collection of books in the corner piled up and stacked on a dark wooden shelf.
"You have a nice place." Claude's eyes flickered up to Alois's face briefly but returned to his pale abdomen. He knew Alois was avoiding making any form of eye contact with him. He pressed his fingertips against the boy's smooth skin and ran them gently along his rib cage. Alois shook and a small gasp crept past his lips. Claude smirked in accomplishment and watched as Alois's face began to brighten and his delicate lips parted as he inhaled small gasps of air. He leaned in closer, approaching the boy's beautiful face. His lips stopped merely inches away from Alois's and he paused, waiting for a reaction from the younger man. His dazzling foamy eyes were glassy and his lashes batted slowly. He quirked a teasing grin and raised himself off of the ground.
"Come on. You need to eat. You're too skinny." Alois looked up in confusion and nodded blankly in agreement, still stunned by the close contact. He was expecting Claude to make a move. His lips had been so close to his own, what was he doing?
'I can't tell what this man is thinking. What does he want?' Alois stood up slowly and pushed his arms through their proper holes in the shirt and pulled it over his head. It fell a little past the waist band of his sweats, but it fit comfortably.
'This must not be his. Maybe a girlfriend's, or boyfriend's.' Alois mentally smacked himself for worrying about it. It didn't matter if the man was seeing anyone at the moment, it wasn't any of his business. Still, a small part of his heart ached. He still hoped that possibly Claude was single. Then of course there was hoping that if he was single, he'd be interested in dating men.
'You can never freaking tell nowadays.' He was right. It wasn't quite obvious to him anymore who was gay and who wasn't. He had hit on tons of straight men before who had eyed him in clubs and had even persuaded a few of them to experiment a little with other guys.
'What am I thinking? Knock it off Alois.' Alois stared at Claude who was looking into a mirror mounted to one of the walls. He examined his handsome backside. He was perfect to Alois. His legs were long and slender. His torso was the perfect length and you could tell he was thin but still muscular underneath all of his clothes. His hair was a lovely black color with tints of blue. It was partially pulled back and away from his face, leaving his forehead exposed while the rest of it fell to the sides, outlining his thin, ivory skin. His nose was thin and every facial feature was perfect. His eyes were captivating and drew Alois in every time they made eye contact.
He became lost in his thoughts and noticed almost too late when Claude turned around to face him. His head snapped quickly to the side and he tried to focus on something else. Claude smirked and extended a hand out towards Alois. The blonde boy looked up at his finely manicured hand and reached out to grab it. The taller man pulled him up swiftly in a fluid motion and began leading him out of the room.
They walked through the main room of the apartment which melded the living room and kitchen together. It was quite similar to his own apartment, only much more glamorous and it appeared there was only one bedroom and no actual space for a dining room. His furniture was a mixture of white and black leather which contrasted everywhere he looked. It looked like a setup from a furnishing magazine. He glanced over and saw a crystal bottle of alcohol placed on top of the glass coffee table in front of the couch. Alois assumed he had drank a lot the night before, explaining his smell and the dark, heavy bags under his gorgeous eyes.
They exited the apartment and made their way down the stairs. Claude led them to a car parked against the curb. It was sporty and black with tinted with streaks of blue that were visible when the light hit it right. Alois stared in awe and pressed his fingertips against the smooth, glossy paint. Claude grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open for Alois. The blonde haired boy flashed a quick look at Claude before smoothly sliding into the vehicle.
The interior was just as sporty as the outside of the car. The seats were leather and smelled new. He grazed his fingers against the smooth material of the seats and stared out of the crystal clear window.
'What does this guy do?' Alois felt the weight of the car shift a little as Claude lowered himself into his seat. He pulled his door shut and started the car with a quick insertion and flick of his key. He drove off, winding down streets through his neighborhood and Alois took in the scenery. The neighborhoods surrounding Claude's seemed to be populated with plenty of rich people. The houses were all well-built and not cookie cutter at all. They each had their own individual twist. Whatever it was that Claude did, he obviously earned decent money. Alois was curious but decided not to pry too soon and kept his curiosity to himself.
They eventually drove into a parking lot full of cars and Claude found a space, pulling in quickly and with ease. The older man turned off the car and stepped outside, making his way over to Alois's door, opening it for him. Alois hopped out and looked around, not recognizing where they were. Claude grabbed his hand again and led him towards a fine looking restaurant.
There were yellow Christmas lights aligning the awning hanging off of the side of the brown stone wall. They approached the glass doors that read 'Café de la Vie'. Alois wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded French and expensive. They walked inside and a man clad in a red and black velvet uniform was there to greet them right away. Claude smiled at him and held his hand up to the waiter. He continued to lead Alois into the main dining room and they wove back to a corner booth.
The lights were dim and the atmosphere seemed calm and warm. There were sweet and spicy aromas lingering throughout the air. Many of the customers placed at tables were dressed up in fancy clothes. The women mainly in dresses and the men in business suits, much like what Claude was wearing, only he was missing his jacket. A waitress walked up to their table and placed two water glasses down along with two coasters to protect the intricate marble table top. Alois was shocked, he had never been in a place quite so extravagant. He was handed a menu by the waitress and he accepted it, smiling at her sweetly. She returned the smile and handed one to Claude as well. He nodded at her and took it, placing it onto the table top. She swiped a pad and pen out from her apron and flipped to a blank page.
"Can I get you two anything to drink besides water?" Claude asked politely for a cup of coffee and looked at Alois, waiting for some kind of response from him. He stared wide eyed and turned his attention towards the menu, flipping it around looking for a drink section, not finding one. He ended up shaking his head and flashing her a quick, embarrassed smile.
"He'll take something sweet. Whatever you recommend." The waitress nodded and headed off for the kitchen to grab them their drinks.
"You seem flustered, are you alright?" Alois nodded and scanned through his menu, paying attention to the foreign names of the fancy sounding dishes. He hadn't heard of any of these before and had no idea what they really were.
"I don't know what any of this stuff is. I'm not really used to being in high end places like this." Alois tossed his menu down on the table and crossed his arms over his chest, relaxing against the leather cushioned seat. Claude smiled and grabbed his menu, placing it on top of his own.
"Indulge. This is on me. I didn't bring you here to rub it in your face, I brought you here because it's the closest breakfast serving restaurant around my neighborhood. Not so I could throw you out of your comfort zone." His voice was soft and he didn't seem upset at all. Alois's eyes fell to his water glass, dripping with beads of cold water. He knew Claude's intentions were good and he began feeling guilty for letting Claude think that he was uncomfortable, even though he was.
"What would you recommend?" Alois finally met Claude's soft, honey colored eyes and uneasily maintained eye contact. Claude's pale lips curled up into a delicate, crooked smile. Alois's eyebrows quirked and he shot the man a questioning look.
"What's with that look you're giving me?" Claude folded his hands and placed them underneath his chin, resting his elbows against the table.
"That's the first time you've really been able to look me in the eye for more than five seconds." Alois felt heat rising up inside of him and could feel his blood rushing to his face, illuminating his cheeks. He turned his head and tried to hide his embarrassment.
"Don't mock me." Claude chuckled quietly and continued to stare at the blonde haired beauty sitting across the table from him.
"I'm happy. Your eyes are lovely to look at, I wish you'd let me see them more." Alois cursed and bit down on his lip.
'He's driving me nuts. I can't sit here comfortably while he talks to me like that.' Thankfully before Claude could say anymore, the waitress returned with their drinks and placed them down next to their waters. Claude's coffee was steaming still inside of a white porcelain cup aligned with a golden swirly trim. He watched as the man leaned back against the seat and smiled at the woman, thanking her. She blushed a little and nodded at him.
Alois watched the woman's body language intently. Her cheeks reddened and her breathing picked up a little bit, he noticed by watching the two perfectly sized mounds on her chest rise and fall underneath her delicate shirt. She gave him a timid and shy smile, brushing a strand of her straight brown hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind one ear nervously.
'She likes him. Figures, he's charming, gorgeous and wealthy.' Alois was so caught up in his own thoughts he hardly realized the two staring at him, waiting for him to tell the young woman what he wanted to eat. He stared at them both and opened his mouth, nothing coming out.
"Ah-I-"
"I think he'd like the Pain Suisse." The woman nodded and smiled down at Alois, grabbing the menu's from Claude.
"You must have a sweet tooth huh?" Alois's eyes darted towards hers. He smiled and relaxed a little bit, feeling a little more comfortable realizing she was being sweet to him. He nodded and flashed a childish smile.
"Alright, those will be right out. Enjoy your drinks." She took off again and wove through the mass of tables filled with couples and small groups of friends and families. Alois leaned across the table and whispered quietly to Claude.
"What did you get me?" Claude mimicked Alois, leaning across his end of the table and appearing just inches before the boy's flawless face.
"Why are we whispering?" Alois's brows furrowed and he threw his back against the seat again, his cheeks stained with a light hue of pink. Claude let out a small laugh and sat back up.
"It's a pastry. It stuffed with cream and has chocolate chunks inside of it." Alois nodded his head and slid his glass of hot chocolate towards the edge of the table. He leaned forward and hovered his nose over the still heated hot chocolate. It smelled sweet and the cream melting through the top was heavy and the smell was foreign to him.
'This isn't your everyday generic brand of whipped cream.' He leaned forward a bit more and stuck his tongue out, gathering a small taste at the end of his tongue. He savored the creamy topping and he couldn't help but smile. He felt Claude staring at him, so instinctively he looked up to meet his warm colored eyes. Claude was smiling behind his own cup of coffee. Alois noticed the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"You're grinning. Why are you grinning?" Claude lowered his cup and crossed one of his knees over the other.
"You're cute, that's why." Alois felt heat rising to his cheeks again.
'Damn him. Why is my body reacting this way?' Alois froze as he watched Claude's hand move closer to his face. One of his warm fingers brushed against the boy's smooth lips. Alois gave Claude a questioning look as the man inserted his finger into his mouth, sucking on the end, releasing it with a quiet popping noise.
"You had a little left over. Saving it for later?" Alois opened his mouth to snap at Claude, but the waitress returned, placing two plates onto the table. He stared down at the plate set in front of him and smiled at the delicious dessert on his plate. It was golden and flakey, the cream filling was visible as were the chunks of chocolate, just as Claude had said. He quickly dug in and soon the sweet was half way gone. He took a break to drink a few sips of his delicate hot chocolate. He looked up over the rim of his glass to see a plate covered in fruit placed in front of Claude. He prodded at it with a small fork and ate it slowly.
"You're just like Sebastian." Claude's eye shot up quickly, burning into Alois's inattentive ones. The boy was busy devouring the rest of his pastry. Claude regained his composure and tried to settle himself down a bit before saying anything.
"What do you mean by that?" Claude played with his fruit, flipping it around on his plate and mixing them around with the end of his fork. Alois swallowed his sweet and took a small drink of his chocolate. He cleared his throat and looked at the fine empty plate sitting on the table.
"You're both healthy eaters. And you've hardly eaten anything on your plate. Sebastian does the same thing." Claude's eyes narrowed at the dish covered in colorful fruit slices. He tried to simmer down before allowing himself to talk about Sebastian.
"We have to be healthy. Our line of work requires us to be physically fit, including a decent level of endurance, stamina and agility." Alois's eyes shot up quickly to meet Claude's sending him a questioning and confused look.
"We? I thought you hardly knew Sebastian, you didn't say you worked together." Claude's pupils enlarged momentarily and his heart skipped a beat.
'Fuck.'
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I was talking about others in my profession. I didn't mean to confuse you." Alois watched Claude carefully as he stabbed a ripe slice of cantaloupe, biting a small piece off of the end to chew on.
"Oh, that's my bad then." The two remained silent for the following few minutes, exchanging only an occasional glance.
"So, what is it you do?" Claude's eyes narrowed slightly and he scanned the people walking by the restaurant's front window. His brain had memorized ways of avoiding discussing his work life with people he associated with.
"I'm a business man. I deal with a lot of different clients and work on lots of projects for multiple corporations. I'm basically a slut between businesses. I'm there when they need me and stay out of sight when they don't." Alois nodded and reached across the table to pick up a strawberry slice sitting on Claude's plate. He popped it into his mouth and savored the fruit's sweetness.
"Ah I see. That sounds like a bit too much for me." Claude smirked, knowing that the discussion had reached its end already. He shifted in his seat and scooted towards the end of his seat, standing up and stretching his legs. Alois watched him, patiently waiting for him to say something like, "Time to go" or "I'll be right back".
"You ready to go home? I'm sure my boring life is beginning to get to you." Alois smiled a little and nodded, sliding towards the edge of the leathery seat. He hopped off and followed Claude's lead, walking to the cashier with a receipt the waitress had left behind for him. He paid quickly in cash and left the woman behind the small podium a generous tip.
Their walk to the car was quick and silent. The car door was held open by Claude as Alois slid back into the sporty vehicle once again. They remained quiet during the majority of the drive, exchanging words every once in a while about their breakfast and how nice the restaurant was. Alois thanked Claude a few times for taking him out and treating him. They eventually made their way to Alois's apartment and parked quickly in an open spot against the sidewalk, directly in front of the steps. The two climbed out and began to say their goodbye's when another car pulled up next to Claude's dark colored one. The ignition stayed on while the door clicked open and a tall figure stepped out clad in dark jeans and a fitted, black studded jacket.
"Hi Sebastian." Alois flashed a smile at Sebastian whose eyes narrowed and quickly focused on Claude, standing uncomfortably close to his lover's best friend. Claude smirked devilishly and winked mockingly at Sebastian without Alois seeing.
"Morning, Sebastian." Sebastian's jaw clenched and his teeth gritted together, causing a slight discomfort in his mouth.
"Alois, where have you been?" Alois stared guiltily at the ground and came up with a small white lie, not being able to look Sebastian directly in the eye.
"I got caught up last night and Claude and I ran into each other, so he let me stay the night at his place. And he took me to breakfast. Now I'm home." Sebastian's gaze remained on Claude. Alois looked up and noticed Sebastian wasn't looking at him, he hardly seemed like he was paying attention. Alois shrugged and brushed a hand against Claude's forearm gently, thanking him again for his generosity before flashing him a sweet smile and jogging up the set of steps to the apartment.
Once Alois was out of sight Sebastian approached the sidewalk and stood as close to Claude as he could stand to be. His gaze bore through Claude's mocking eyes and merciless expression.
"You better not be causing trouble. Especially with Alois, Claude." Claude smirked and snorted, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"God, Sebastian. There's good inside of me, you know? You should know. I was just taking care of him. Nothing happened. Now, I'll be off if you'll excuse me. You probably want your spot, huh?" Sebastian remained silent and watched as Claude began walking towards his car. Sebastian reached out was about to grab the back of Claude's shirt but restrained himself, not wanting to cause a scene or start a fight on the street that Alois or Ciel could possibly witness.
"Now, mind moving your piece of junk so I can leave?" Sebastian's blood began to boil and he felt rage boiling up inside of him. He remained silent as he walked over to his own car, sliding in and pulling back to allow Claude to leave his parking space. As Claude pulled out, his hand flew out of the window, waving at Sebastian who in turn snarled and pulled quickly into the now empty space. He exited his car and slammed the door shut, quickly bouncing up the stairs, fuming.
He paused outside of the door to simmer down a bit before walking in, ready to act like nothing had happened when in fact, he was furious and wanted to be put to work more than ever right then.
'I need some release.'