🌙When the Lights Go Down🌙

Chapter 10

The soft murmur of the lunch crowd met Ciel's ears as he followed the hostess through the restaurant to a private room in the back. After avoiding Claude for weeks, the man had found a sure fire way to get Ciel's attention. Early that morning, Vincent had called to tell Ciel that Claude wanted to have lunch with him since they had barely seen each other.

His father had said that the lunch would be a good way to strength the relationship they had with Claude and had left Ciel with little choice but to agree. A quick message had been sent to Sebastian after the conversation and Sebastian had reassured him that he didn't have a problem with Ciel having lunch with his brother.

They were supposed to have another cooking lesson today, where Sebastian was going to teach him how to make lasagna, but it seemed as though that would have to wait. A part of Ciel wondered if he could cut the lunch short and at least salvage the rest of the afternoon with Sebastian before he went to see DIE's owner tonight.

"In here, Sir," a soft voice said, drawing Ciel's attention from his thoughts to the meeting that was waiting for him.

He thanked the hostess and stepped inside the room, letting the door shut behind him to give them privacy. Claude was already sipping on his drink and the man smiled at him as he approached the table.

"It's been a while, Ciel," Claude spoke, leaning forward and looking at him sincerely. "I hope you didn't think I was mad at you after the last shoot. We haven't talked since then and I know that I wasn't in the best of moods that day, but I wasn't upset at you."

Ciel shook his head. "I know, you were mad at Sebastian, am I correct?" He asked as he took a seat. The napkin was placed in his lap and spread out carefully. They were at an upscale restaurant and it wouldn't do to drip on his pants.

Claude nodded. "You know that we're not on the best of terms with each other, but lately we've been at each other throats more often than usual. He's been really rebellious as of late and he needs to remember that he's not supposed to be seen or heard."

"Why?" Ciel asked curiously. He had been waiting for a while to ask Claude these questions about Sebastian and now was his chance. "Why is it such a big deal that he's not seen or heard? He's mute, so it's not as though he can make a big fuss." The words sounded harsh but if Claude believed that Ciel was showing sympathy to Sebastian, than Ciel would never find out the truth.

The older male looked awkward and he sipped at his drink before clearing his throat. "There's a long story behind that," he said quietly. "You would never believe me if I told you that we were the best of friends growing up."

Ciel stared at Claude, slightly surprised at the words. He had suspected that there had been a time when Claude and Sebastian had been close, but to hear the man admit it was something Ciel hadn't expected. "We have all of the lunch rush," he prompted. Looking at Claude, it looked as though the older male wanted to tell the story; as though it was something he had been keeping from the world for years.

"After our father killed himself, Sebastian and I only had each other. I didn't want to be separated from him when we went to the orphanage and neither of us wanted to be adopted separately," Claude started. "Everyone wanted Sebastian because he was so young. People only look to adopt young and the older you are, the harder it is to be adopted. But Sebastian refused to go unless I was with him."

Claude grunted and adjusted his glasses. "A year after we were there, I needed glasses. I hated them because I thought they made me look unattractive, not at all like Sebastian. Everyone said he looked like an angel and I was always jealous that he got our mothers looks. But Sebastian told me that he thought the glasses made me look cool and started to wear fake, plastic ones so he could be cool too."