Chapter Text
The following week, Sebastian arrived carrying a box of freshly made doughnuts. He’d learned pretty quickly that the fastest way to Ciel’s heart - or good graces - was through his stomach, especially by way of sweet baked goods. After depositing the doughnuts on the break room table for everyone to enjoy, he strode with purpose into Ciel’s office, placing his usual morning London Fog latte on the desk, ready for when Ciel arrived.
Everything was in order for his boss’ arrival. Sebastian made it a point to always arrive at the office well before Ciel, ensuring his boss would have an easier (caffeinated) start to the day, and this was paying off in dividends. Everyone was beginning to benefit from Ciel’s markedly improving mood - not that he was ever intentionally rude or disrespectful to his staff (with the exception of Grell, but 9 times out of 10 she instigated his wrath) - rather, the boss was more present during meetings, less hesitant to reach out, and more collaborative in general. The little changes Sebastian implemented also noticeably improved Ciel’s overall wellbeing, and he had more stamina to be productive later in the day.
He took a quick glance around Ciel’s office, making sure nothing needed straightening. Two walls of the corner office were entirely floor to ceiling windows featuring a lovely view of the sprawling park below and the city. Scanning the wall beside his desk there were a few framed pictures neatly arranged together. The one that stood out was an 8x10 sketch of a charming old-timey storefront - upon closer inspection he noticed the Funtom sign. In the bottom corner was Ciel’s signature. Did he draw this? Sebastian filed this away for later, to ask his boss when he wasn’t terribly occupied.
Otherwise, the morning was uneventful. Ciel stumbled in later than most of his staff, having started his work day at home, joining early morning Zoom meetings with the London office and replying to emails from the comfort of his sofa. He set his laptop on his desk and took his seat, preparing for another meeting.
Sebastian gave him a quick rundown of his schedule for the day. Ciel would be in meetings for the rest of the morning, which elicited a groan. He then drank more of his morning tea in earnest, which would sustain him until lunchtime.
Shortly after noon, Ciel emerged from the larger meeting room with Soma and Bard who were both animatedly chattering at him before dispersing to their desks. Ciel began wandering back to his office when his phone buzzed. One look at the screen and he immediately answered.
“Hello, sir.”
Ah, Vincent. The only person in the broader organization he addressed as “sir”. The only senior leadership executive and corporate higher power he answered to: the head honcho of Phantomhive Corporation himself.
Sebastian observed their discussion. Ciel mostly listened at first, as he wandered over to the windows in his office and stood. His profile elegantly impassive as he made some affirmative sounds and clarified a few things likely discussed in the previous meeting.
“Of course. Okay. You too.” Click. There was probably a whiff of some fatherly sentiment implied in their wrap-up, but Ciel lacked any genuine warmth in his replies. He tucked his phone away as if just hanging up with the dentist's office, crossed his arms, and looked out the window in thought for a moment. Brow slightly pensive. Seemingly clinical and detached.
Sebastian wondered what Vincent was like as a father, but had a sneaking suspicion his relationship with Ciel wasn't very close, and likely hadn't been for a very long time. He wondered how that had affected Ciel growing up.
“Hey.”
Sebastian had become all too familiar with Ciel’s terse verbal poke. He looked up from his laptop screen attentively.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Have any lunch plans?”
Sebastian blinked, and assessed his boss looming at his desk. Straight-faced, somber, slightly tensed jaw. He could tell this was requiring a great deal of effort. Ciel usually disappeared or took lunch in his office, alone.
A gentle smile. “Not until now. What did you have in mind?”
Ciel tried not to sigh too audibly. “Come with me. There's a place within walking distance. I … I also need to ask you some things.” He looked mildly annoyed. “I hate this term, but consider it a-” he scrunched his nose in disgust, “A Lunch and Learn.” Another sigh. “This won't take long.”
Sebastian followed his boss out the door to the elevator. True to Ciel’s word, there was a little café a few blocks away. They were nearly at the door when a noise from the bushes caught his attention - a rustling of leaves and what sounded like a camera clicking. Aware that someone might be following them, he quickly opened the café door for his boss and followed inside.
Sebastian could immediately see why the place appealed to Ciel - the bakery boasted no shortage of sweetened bready delicacy. They sat in wrought iron cafe chairs in the courtyard the cafe shared with a bookstore and a New Age shop. While it was bright outside, the courtyard walls coupled with the umbrella beside their table cast more than enough shade for Ciel’s comfort.
Ciel nibbled on a baguette and a cup of soup, taking occasional notes on his laptop that he set on the table beside his food. They casually chatted about a few ongoing projects and Ciel complained about some pointless updates from the London office.
Sebastian couldn’t help but notice how little Ciel ate for lunch, but thought better than to voice his concerns out loud. It would have been nosy at best and rude at worst.
With the amount of stress and responsibility on Ciel’s plate, he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been prescribed a cocktail of meds that affected his appetite. His boss wasn’t wired enough to be popping uppers for the hell of it, though in this circle drug culture wasn’t uncommon. He’d seen more than he cared to admit, and while not quite at the level of Wall Street, drugs were astonishingly easy to get where the money flowed.
As if reading Sebastian’s mind, Ciel sighed, mockingly disappointed in himself. “I think I’m going to get dessert on my way out - I might be addicted. Please, order as much as you want. I’ll expense it.”
“Oh, this is more than enough. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t feeling unwell.”
Ciel looked up from his soup, thoughtful for a moment. “You know, I’ve actually been feeling good lately. Better than I have in a while.”
Sebastian smiled. “It’s probably all the salad and protein I’ve been forcing on you. Nutrient-dense food, go figure.”
“Yeah, like the doughnuts. Full of nutrients. I think I’ve gained about 5 pounds since you started, because I have zero self-control.”
Ciel changed the subject before Sebastian could appropriately reply to his weight gain comment.
“Anyway, I’ve dawdled long enough. Now that you’re fed, I can, in good conscience, ask you some work-related things.”
“Of course. How can I help?”
“So, I’ll be going to a trade show next month. Finny usually joins me, but I wanted to ask if you’d be available - or at all interested - in joining as well.” Ciel tried to gauge his reaction before continuing. “It would require a couple of nights at a hotel, so you’d be away from home for a weekend.”
Sebastian tempered his response to an appropriate level of enthusiasm instead of immediately agreeing to a weekend away with his boss. “A trade show?”
“Yes. It's a convention held once a year, for toys and collectibles. It's mostly networking and market research, though having a booth might be worthwhile next year.” Ciel knew it was a big ask for a new assistant. “I would need assistance booking meetings and maintaining the schedule, but honestly it should be pretty low lift. There are some after hours events, too, but I don't intend to stay long if it can be helped.”
In all honesty, Ciel could manage on his own. Finny would do the driving, and meet with vendors to maintain those relationships. But it could be beneficial to have someone else around for optics, and to deter nuisance colleagues he'd rather avoid. He explained the logistics and Sebastian agreed.
“This is quite good - did you draw this?”
Ciel looked up to where Sebastian indicated. “Oh, that - yes. I didn't think it was anything special, but Finny went and framed it and insisted I hang it somewhere.”
“I didn't know you were an artist.”
“Oh, I'm not. I just like to draw sometimes - I guess it's kind of a hobby. I suck at drawing people. But buildings, inanimate objects, and animals are sort of my sweet spot, such as it is.”
Sebastian studied his boss for a moment.
“Would you be willing to draw my cat? I'd pay you, of course.”
Ciel sighed dramatically. “I don't know, the cost would be pretty steep - so many patrons are knocking down my door for a Ciel Phantomhive original these days.”
If Sebastian wasn't already familiar with Ciel’s dead-pan delivery of absolute bullshit, he might have questioned if he was being serious.
“Of course I'll draw your cat.” Ciel smirked.
The sun was getting lower and golden light filtered in the windows, illuminating Ciel’s eyes with something resembling warmth. Ciel maintained eye contact longer than he was normally comfortable with, but didn’t seem to mind. Their staring contest ended when Soma barged in the corner office brandishing a bottle of expensive-looking liquor. Ciel looked away a little too quickly.
“I received this as a gift and wanted to share my good fortune with you! I know you appreciate a good scotch.”
Ciel was about to wave him off when the exuberant man produced two cups of ice onto his desk before he could decline.
Ciel sighed, more out of regret than annoyance. “I really shouldn't, as lovely as it sounds.”
Soma’s eyes flickered to Ciel’s face knowingly. “New meds?”
“Kind of,” Ciel acquiesced carefully, conscious of Sebastian’s presence. “We're still working on the dosage, so I have to be careful.”
“Just a sip, then!” Amber eyes lit up as he poured a small amount in Ciel’s cup. Even just observing the exchange as an outsider, Sebastian could tell Soma genuinely cared for Ciel. More than just a well-respected colleague. A good friend, rare in this realm where two-faced acquaintances and fair weather friendships of circumstance were the norm.
“Just a sip.” Ciel accepted, and both friends enjoyed.
Soma was mid sip when his eyes flickered to Sebastian and exuberantly extended the offer, thrusting another cup in his hand before he could reply. That's when Soma began the diatribe on how he and Ciel met - suitemates in University, and they had been the first two in their connecting rooms to arrive. Soma had appeared in a vibrant frenzy of silks, gold, and tchotchkes - flown in from his palace in India - and popped his head in Ciel’s room, uneasy with being alone and eager to meet the boys he'd be living with. Ciel had been less eager, though just as uneasy - giving Soma all the more reason to take the reserved boy under his extroverted wing.
Sebastian could see that Soma was protective of Ciel to a degree. Where Soma easily made friends and fluttered among many social circles, Ciel was slower to trust and struggled to connect with his peers. But Soma's unabashed honesty and naive optimism worked to his advantage in pursuing Ciel's friendship, and he had been determined to help his new ‘best friend’ come out of his shell.
Ciel cringed but didn't argue his story. “Don't you have like 30 best friends, though?”
Soma looked comically aghast. “I'm offended you would think I treat our friendship so casually!” Then his expression shifted, appearing uncharacteristically contemplative for a moment. “While I do cast a wide net, Ciel is special to me in ways very few are. Like family. He’s seen me at my worst. Bitter and dejected - heartbroken, even. And he comes through in ways most simply can't.” The golden hour sky backlit his profile, casting warm highlights in his wavy plum-tinted hair.
He turned to Sebastian at once, mouth tightened in a stern line. “So don't you believe for a second this ‘Tin Man’ act he likes to perform!”
“Oy vey.” Ciel groaned, facepalming at his friend's theatrics.
Sebastian was both amused and intrigued by their dynamic. Soma's expressions bordered on theatrical, and what you saw was what you got. An effective foil to Ciel’s often deadpan, sometimes prickly, demeanor.
Ciel finished his sampling of scotch, suddenly pensive, staring at the empty glass. “Wouldn’t I be the Cowardly Lion, though? I think that’s more accurate,” he trailed off quietly.
“No! You’ve always been the Tin Man!” Soma’s eyes were wide with disbelief, like his entire life had been a lie. “Al’s the Cowardly Lion, I’m Dorothy, and Finny’s the Scarecrow! We’ve established this!”
Clearly he’d given this a lot of thought.
“Well, maybe it’s time we rethink the roles.”
Soma groaned in frustration, throwing his hands up as he melodramatically fled Ciel’s office. “You know what, I can’t deal with this right now - your identity crisis is distressing me - I’m going home!”
Ciel waited until Soma was sufficiently away before side-eyeing Sebastian and cracking a knowing smile. “I knew that would get him to leave.”
Sebastian met his glance with an amused smirk of his own. He enjoyed witnessing Ciel’s sense of humor shine through the cracks of his serious businessman armor. The sarcastic remarks, dry commentary, and surprisingly unhinged references he’d mutter under his breath when he thought no one was listening - despite himself, hearing those little gems otherwise doomed to rot in Ciel’s brain only intensified his desire to get to know Ciel. On the surface, yes, he already knew he wanted to bang him - that was easy. What wasn’t easy to quantify was the particular quality that intrigued him, and the potential that could lead to.
“I actually owe Soma a lot,” Ciel began, quiet and hesitant. Sebastian moved closer, paying attention.
“He wasn’t exaggerating when he said he helped me come out of my shell, back then.” Ciel admitted. He looked down at his hands.
“Both he and Al, in different ways. I was so shy.”
Sebastian sat in the chair across from him. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I was very much that child who was afraid of everything. I don’t know when that changed - or if it really ever did. I think now I’m just better at pretending not to be.” Ciel looked up, making eye contact. Blue eyes soft, yet intense - much like his overall presence.
“God, I was such a pain in the ass, too - though that hasn’t really changed,” He laughed, and it was beautiful. Anguish disguised as mirth. Real.
Sebastian wondered what Ciel was like back when Soma first met and befriended the boy. Before Funtom, before success, before he’d been steeped in corporate life. Back when he was just an earnest University student, ambitious but reluctant to stand out. Brilliant but afraid to draw too much attention. He imagined Ciel was absolutely precious - he’d be even more precious underneath him. How long had he been able to fly under the radar? How much did it hurt when his comfort zone was shattered to smithereens?
“Hey Sebastian,” Ciel interrupted his thoughts. “Could you tell me the time?”
Sebastian looked at his phone and replied reflexively. “It’s 4:20, sir.”
He realized the childish setup as soon as he said the words out loud, and Ciel’s snickering only confirmed any suspicions that his boss was indeed a little buzzed.