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For weeks on end, maybe months even, the Christmas sales had reigned over everything in every single shopping centre. Mothers yanked the wrists of whining children whilst attempting to juggle the many bags in their spare arm. Teenagers flocked about Starbucks, some eager to try the Christmas-inspired delights, and some who were just in need of caffeine after spending hours simply walking and talking among their friends.
"Attire" was the latest shop to announce their Christmas sale: a large black and white banner marred the windows, and classy Christmas themed mannequins lined up behind the glass. It wasn't particularly eye-catching, like the displays in the other shop windows, but it was formal and met the design of the shop nicely.
Ciel liked it that way. In fact, the bright colours and blinking fairy lights in the other shops only served to irritate him, and a little bit of black and white here and there never hurt anybody.
The employees of Attire were well-dressed, in suits of black and white for the men, and a black blazer with a white blouse and black pencil skirt for the women. There was a reason for such conventional staff uniforms: not only was it extremely difficult to get a job there without ties to someone in the company, but every item of clothing there was enormously expensive and made of the finest materials you could ever hope to wear. So of course, the staff had to look their best.
Even a certain teal-haired man was dressed smartly, smoothing out any noticeable crinkles, as he prepared for his morning shift, "Bard? Were boxes 5 through to 15 unpacked last night?" he called from in front of the mirror. An uneasy "No." was the reply, and with a slight tweak to his black tie he strode out to confront the man.
Bard took in the way his superior walked briskly towards him, eyebrows furrowed and his lips pressed tightly together in an attempt to keep calm; he was used to this, as he was supposed to oversee the younger generation who had been placed on the night shift, and as you can probably guess, they hardly ever did their job right. He ran a hand through his slightly tousled hair by habit and looked sheepishly down at the floor between his feet.
"Now I'm sure you understand by now, but I warned you about this before you left yesterday morning. So now you have two choices, either you fire the slackers or I fire you. Which will it be?"
Bard awkwardly scratched at the stubble covering his chin, "Come on, Ciel. Surely you can-"
"No!" he was interrupted sharply, "I've given you enough leeway. I think it's time you faced your responsibility."
And with that, the man strode right out of the staff room, leaving behind a frustrated and forlorn coworker. Bard let out a sigh: tonight was going to be tough.
~
Meanwhile, Bard's manager was busy organising the staff for the first shift of the day; as per usual, every employee stood before Ciel in a neat line in front of the shutter-covered shop windows.
"It's just a month before Christmas, one of the busiest times of the year for our store. So today begins our Christmas sale. There'll be twice as many customers, twice as much work, and you have to do it in half of the time it usually takes in order to fully take advantage of this sale."
He looked expectantly at his experienced workers who all the nodded their head in understanding, "Great. Now move it."
And with that, they all dispersed to cover their work stations.
Ciel straightened his tie with a slight nod and proceeded to unlock and retract the shutters. Outside he could see the early morning shoppers waiting at one of entrances, no doubt eager to fill their Christmas shopping lists. He wondered if most of their pre-teen brats valued the expensive products they would receive. No, he supposed they wouldn't understand value at all, being the naive and arrogant children they were. "Something once lost will never return" - that is a lesson only learnt through experience, Ciel thought grimly.
As he finished opening the shop and setting the sign on the door to "OPEN", a pair of crimson eyes caught his from across the shopping centre. Ciel made a noise of disapproval as the raven-haired man strode towards Attire.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ciel drawled sarcastically as he held open the door.
The devilish grin he got in response was enough to make Ciel roll his eyes and head towards the staff room, "Father dearest sent me to watch over this years Christmas sale." he said as he followed the manager.
Ciel stopped dead in his tracks and turned briskly to face the taller man, "You've got to joking."
"Come now Ciel, we're going to have so much fun together." he purred, slinging an arm around the the smaller man's shoulder.
"Sebastian," he said sternly, "There is nothing fun about trying to work whilst someone is attempting to molest me."
He feigned hurt and covered his heart with his hand, "But I would never do something like that!"
"Tsk." Ciel huffed and carried on walking the other way, Sebastian following close behind.
"Although I must say, you do look rather ravishing."
This kind of idiotic banter was the type Ciel loathed the most, and the type that Sebastian Michaelis, the son of the company's owner, wouldn't let up on. It was exhausting for the manager to say the least. Even if he did admit that having Sebastian around every once in a while livened things up a bit.
Mey-Rin, one of the more clumsy employees was the only one left in the staff room, no doubt becoming flustered over something she had broken or lost. Ciel sighed: she was an excellent worker until she became embarrassed, or made a small mistake, then she became a blundering mess.
"Ah, why hello my little cherry blossom." Sebastian cooed.
Her reaction was immediate; her face flushed red, all the way up to the tips of her ears, and she spun around so fast Ciel was surprised she didn't get dizzy. Unfortunately, alluring men like Sebastian were one of Mey-Rin's weaknesses, hence her inability to spout anything other than spluttering squeaks in his presence. The presence of her manager was also enough to start one of these miniature episodes as well. So as soon as her eyes spied Ciel standing beside the raven-haired individual, her face became as red as a tomato and she covered her mouth before excusing herself and rushing past them into the shop.
"That was unnecessary." Ciel pointed out as they continued towards his office.
Sebastian chuckled, "But it is most entertaining, especially considering the combination of both of us seems to be too much for her." he then eyed up the man walking in front of him.
"I can't say I blame her though," he purred as he leant closer, "You are beautiful."
Ciel was glad to be facing away from the raven when a blush tinted his cheeks, even though he should be used to the abrupt and flirty comments by now, they got even more blunt and suggestive every time he came to visit, so he couldn't help the embarrassment he felt crawl up his spine as he swung open the door to his office.
Sebastian whistled, "That's a lot of paperwork you've got there."
Indeed there was, three piles of it to be exact, "It's unavoidable considering the uselessness of my night shift." Ciel huffed as he took his seat behind the desk.
Sebastian followed suit by settling in one of the cozy armchairs situated near the desk, "Isn't there anything you can do about it?"
The manager sent him an incredulous look, "Of course I can you fool," he began to sort through the paperwork, "But I have a member of staff in charge of the night shift: so I don't have to get my hands dirty with all of those part-time brats."
Sebastian's lips tugged into a smirk and he silently appraised the techniques of his Father's well-chosen employee, "I'm assuming you've given him the choice already?"
Ciel stopped what he was doing to look at the man who was lounging across the armchair, "Obviously." he said with irritation, before resuming his work.
The two men had a strange relationship to say the least: whilst Ciel would admit only to himself that he enjoyed the company of the other male, he wold surely stand naked in front of the store than admit it to anybody else. This, of course, left Sebastian - who was open about his slightly more than friendly attraction towards the younger man - somewhat frustrated at times. Of course, with the small bit of mutual attraction for each other they often had a type of "friends with benefits" relationship, although so far Ciel would go no farther than that.
But Sebastian had a plan.
He would help Ciel manage the store over the Christmas period, and on his next day off he would ask the man out on a date. However, knowing how stubborn the young man was, Sebastian would have to use his time working in the shop as an opportunity to coax Ciel out of his metaphorical shell.
With a smile to himself, the raven-haired male pulled the armchair to sit directly in front of the desk before beginning to skim over the contents of the paperwork.
"I believe it would be over a lot quicker if there were two people handling it." he said carefully, as not to anger the man in front of him.
Ciel seemed to contemplate this for a few moments before giving in with a sigh, "I suppose you are right," he organised the papers and gave half to Sebastian, "Just try not to mess things up."
So with a smug grin set into place, Sebastian got to work.
~
It was just before closing time when the paperwork was finally complete. Ciel leant back in his chair with a heaving sigh and began to flex his wrist, "Well that's one problem solved." he muttered to himself.
"One?"
Ciel's head shot up, as if he had forgotten Sebastian's presence in the room, before his expression softened slightly and he let out a humourless laugh, "Didn't your father tell you? We've been having trouble hiring any decent employees for the night shift: we have a new group in every fortnight."
Now Sebastian could see why the manager seemed so stressed, "I'll have a look around one of the local job agencies if you'd like, heaven knows you don't have the time for that sort of thing."
The younger man scoffed, "Like I'd allow somebody else to take care of that for me; I'll accompany you, at least that way I can approve of the ones you wish to hire."
With a grin, Sebastian nodded resolutely and began to think of all the ways he could seduce the manager on their day out.
~
"Bloody hell!"
The teal-haired individual cursed and struggled with his black umbrella against the wind, whilst trying not to hit any passers-by. It was easier said than done, he thought to himself, although he was doing fine so far. You see, he was on his way to the job centre - where he had agreed to meet Sebastian, but it seems fate had a knack for getting him into troublesome situations, for his car had refused to start this morning, meaning that once he was done with work he would have to get a mechanic to take a look at it. He shook his head in disbelief - his luck wasn't exactly something that he could brag about.
Finally he made it to the job centre, and the warm heating vent on the other side of the door coaxed a content shiver from his chilled body. Looking around he could see that, even on a rainy day like this, the place was absolutely packed. Some of the people seeking jobs even looked as if they had just graduated from university, which was such a shame, Ciel thought: so many young and intelligent people nowadays were unemployed and actively searching for a job.
Eventually his eyes found the tall raven who was currently eyeing up potential employees with such a calculating gaze that many people were starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Sebastian." Ciel called.
Immediately the man's expression softened and he smiled when he caught sight of the one calling him, "You seem awfully flustered." he pointed out. However, he thought the ruffled hair and disheveled appearance made Ciel look undoubtedly cuter, so he tried not to allow his traitorous eyes to rake up and down his body. He didn't want to provoke the man anymore after all.
"Let's just get going." the smaller of the two huffed.
Breaking out of his trance Sebastian quickly followed him to the front desk, "I already called in advance to let them know we'd be coming." Ciel seemed a little bit surprised by this piece of news but simply made a noise of acknowledgement and confronted the woman at the desk.
"We're here from Attire to seek out knew employees."
The woman whose name badge read "Angela" pushed a strand of white-blonde hair from her face with a scowl, "Follow me." she said in an unpleasant tone. Sebastian could literally see the sparks of hate flying between Ciel and this rude woman.
She led them to a white-walled room with a single desk, one chair in front and two chairs behind it, with a few file cabinets lining the walls.
"Your first candidate will be here momentarily." she snapped on her way out.
Sebastian had to hold back a chuckle a the positively death-like glare aimed the woman's way. He placed a hand on his associates shoulder, "Let it go." he whispered.
With a huff the shorter man brushed him off and sat down behind the desk.
"Come now Ciel, it isn't like you to get so worked up over anything," Sebastian sat down on the seat beside him and raked his eyes over the stiff composure Ciel was keeping, "Unless..."
The younger man tensed as a gentle hand came to rest on his thigh. Sebastian leaned in to his ear, breath ghosting over the skin there, "You should have told me," he purred, "I'm sure I could think of a few choice ways to get rid of your...stress." he punctuated his final word, hoping to get the blatant message across.
Now, Ciel was a man of many talents, but dealing with the sexual advances of one Sebastian Michaelis was not one of them. To be honest, he really needed the "company" of the raven right now, in fact, he craved it. That was saying something.
Sebastian on the other man did more than just crave for the other man, he longed for him, longed for more than a sexual relationship. Maybe it was something about the child-like innocence and beauty in those wide blue eyes, or maybe it was something in the way he held his head up high - like a proud nobleman. And if Sebastian had to be his faithful butler to be that one special person in his life, then so be it.
~
Later on that week after a flurry of papers and job applications, the two employers had finally found the perfect set of employees: diligent and hard-working with no complaints about job loads. They were fast too. In fact, three of them were triplets, and the other two were made up of a happy-go-lucky blonde boy named Finnian, and a rather similar woman by the name of Elizabeth.
To say the two were pleased with their work was an understatement.
"Say, Ciel," the raven began as they relaxed within the manager's office, "It's been pretty tough for you lately, and to be honest I really think you deserve a break. So, hmm how should I put this, would you like to go out on a date with me?"
Well, that was certainly a surprise for Ciel. He really didn't know what to say. I mean, of course, he was attracted to the obnoxiously handsome man. But was this the kind of relationship he wanted? After all those years of shutting people out and closing all of those doors, was he finally ready to let the past be the past and move on with the future? Probably not. But this is Ciel Phantomhive we're talking about; if any of his previous life experiences are anything to go by, he could certainly toughen up enough to have an romantic relationship.
"Yes." he breathed out finally.
"Yes?" Sebastian echoed in surprise, he wasn't expecting such a straightforward answer.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Ciel huffed in reply.
That was a good enough answer as any! Joy bubbled up inside the older man like it never had before: maybe Ciel would finally give him a chance, even if it was only once, he would try his very hardest to win him over.
So as they prepared to leave and go their separate ways Sebastian said, "I'll pick you up at 5 on Christmas Eve, how does that sound?"
Ciel shimmied into his black trench coat with a small shiver in anticipation for the cold weather, "Sure, that sounds great." he mumbled through his navy scarf.
"Excellent, I look forward to it," he leant down and quickly placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before making his escape, "Goodbye Ciel." he chuckled.
Wow, Ciel felt pretty giddy after that abrupt turn of events. He was going on a date with Sebastian, he realised; a date with the only person he has ever had romantic feelings for. The thought was enough to make his head spin and his heart pound a little faster.
He nearly slapped himself: he wasn't some silly preteen girl with a crush, so why was he acting so much like one? Well, that would be one thing Ciel Phantomhive would never find out. Unless he looked a little deeper that is...
~
Christmas Eve rolled around pretty fast, and in all honesty Sebastian was really nervous: sure he'd had dates before, but none of them had really meant as much to him as Ciel did, it didn't help that he was the complete epitome of male beauty with his delicate features and deep blue eyes.
Though the night was young, he supposed, anything could happen. But that also meant that he needed to step it up tonight.
It was chilly outside as he tugged on the collar of his black coat, and on the other side of town, Ciel did the same as he emerged from his warm house and was blasted by the cold night air. The busy commuters always seemed even more frantic this time of year - well, not that it made much difference: they were always frantic, there was just more of them around.
Sebastian had planned to take Ciel to a quaint little restaurant off to the side of his favourite bowling alley. It didn't amount to much on the outside, which is why many people overlooked it, but on the inside it was absolutely spectacular. Black and crimson was the theme: striped wallpaper lined the walls, and secluded booths allowed for a comfortable and more secluded dining experience. All in all, it was Sebastian's favourite restaurant.
The bowling alley on the other hand was a lot more well-known, and it had been fairly difficult to book a reservation for that night. Not that it would stop Sebastian of course.
After hiring a taxi - Ciel still hadn't got his car back - he found himself outside the place where they were to meet. He looked dubiously up at the blinking sign that said "The Devilish Butler" and the neatly blacked out windows that covered the front of the restaurant. Was he really at the right place?
Well, it turns out he was, "Ciel," called a familiar voice, "I'm glad you came."
Sebastian's black hair was slightly tousled and the edges of his coat flapped violently in the wind, "Let's go on shall we?" he said, opening the door for him.
Ciel was surprised at the impeccable state of the interior; he really had expected something a lot less classy than this.
"I hope it's alright." Sebastian said, somewhat nervously. Ciel looked up to find that the raven was avoiding his gaze. Well, it surely wasn't like Sebastian to act so out of character, maybe he really did care about what Ciel thought: maybe he really did care for Ciel.
"It's perfect-ly fine." he half stuttered.
'Wow', Ciel thought to himself, 'I almost told him it was perfect! I can't afford any slip-ups like that this early on.'
A kind young woman in a red and black waiter's uniform showed them to their table, having them nestled into a cozy little booth by one of the windows, which surprisingly you could see through on the inside of the restaurant. She handed them the menu and informed them of the daily special - A succulent stake served with new potatoes, and the vegetable of their choosing, as well as beef gravy and a free side.
"Well, the daily special sounds absolutely wonderful, so I know what I'll be having." Sebastian smiled easily and then turned to his date, "Ciel?"
"I'll have the same; it's been a rather long time since I've eaten stake."
It was slightly awkward at first as Sebastian attempted to make small-talk about work, but soon the two had slipped into a comfortable conversation, "So now my car is in a garage, and they're taking their damn time in fixing it." Ciel grumbled.
The raven chuckled, "You musn't be so impatient. I'm sure it takes a lot of work to fix the more expensive cars. Well, mabe they're taking their time because they don't want to rush it, make a mistake, and then have to deal with your wrath."
The smaller man made a small noise of amusement, "I suppose I did storm in there in a rather foul mood. I wouldn't be surprised if what you say turns out to be the case."
Their pleasant chatter was interrupting by two steaming plates of delicious-looking stake, "Here you go," the waiter said as she placed them carefully in front of the two, "and here's the complimentary glasses of our best wine that came with the meal."
"These look scrumptious." Sebastian exclaimed.
"Hm, I agree." Ciel added.
"That's great! Let me know if you need anything else. Enjoy your meal!"
The rest of the night was spent enjoying the fine cuisine and leisurely talking about their lives in general; after all, they didn't know much about each other.
"So your father was also a businessman like mine?" Sebastian mused.
"Yes we were quite a wealthy family, which is the only reason why I can live such a stable lifestyle now. I went to a prestigious university and majored in business, coming out high above the rest of my classmates; it was around that time that my father's company went under after a mole in the staff leeched a ton of money and sold us off. My mother had died a few years before, so of course, with nobody to lean on for support - since I was still on my way back home - my father became undone." Ciel looked out of the window with a hollow gaze.
"I found him hanging from the ceiling, a rope tight around his neck, limbs dangling helplessly, eyes lifeless..."
Sebastian was slightly taken aback by the grim expression adorning his features, and how he could handle such a horrible circumstances was beyond him.
"I've never told anybody my story." Ciel said finally as he turned back to face the raven. His eyes had regained their usual colour thankfully.
Sebastian was left speechless: suddenly his chest felt all to tight, and his heart seemed to clench hard with every beat. He wanted nothing more than to relieve Ciel of this burdening pain he so obviously felt, he wanted to hold him in his arms and protect him from the cruel world. The sudden surge of emotion he felt for this man was overwhelming.
His hand reached for Ciel's across the table and gripped it tightly and reassuringly, "I won't ever let anything like that happen again, and I won't leave you, I'll stay by your side until you will me away."
Now it was Ciel's turn to be surprised, he certainly hadn't expected this kind of reaction from Sebastian. But even so, he found that he rather liked the emotions currently spilling through the cracks in his previously-unbreakable barrier, the way that a warmth spread through his body.
And for the first time in a long time, Ciel smiled. A real, genuine, smile.
"There's a rule about no kisses on the first date," came the sudden voice of their waiter, "but I say rules are meant to be broken."
Dangling above their heads was a small piece of mistletoe, tied with a red ribbon.
A knowing smile played on the lips of their waiter as she tied the mistletoe to the light above their table, "Have a good one." she said with a wink, before attending to the other customers.
Ciel was still smiling, and now Sebastian was too, "You know what this means, don't you?" he teased the raven.
Sebastian leant forward, "Of course." he purred.
It was a gentle brush of lips at first, followed by the sly nudges of open mouths. The kiss was sweet, and refreshing in a way that neither had ever experienced; it was pure, unadulterated heaven. Desperate hands clung onto one other, still resting against the table, whilst the seemingly distant claps and cheers from the other customers and staff fell on deaf ears.
When they pulled apart it was as if their whole world had changed, as blue orbs gazed upon crimson.
~
The rest of the night was spent in the vicinity of each other's arms, clothes long forgotten, and as Ciel lay breathless, chest heaving from exhaustion, he laughed - a real bark of laughter that bubbled up along with his new-found childish glee.
"Merry Christmas, Sebastian." he said to the already sleeping raven, "It took you long enough to find me."
He brushed a stray lock of black hair from his lovers face; maybe he could forgive him for taking so long, it was better than never finding him at all.
Sebastian mumbled something incoherent in his sleep that made Ciel smile.
Yes, this would do.