I do not own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler or any of its characters.
The blazing sun was beating down on the Phantomhive manor. The young gardener, Finnian was trimming some hedges as drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. He groaned in frustration; the extreme heat was very uncomfortable.
"My gosh, this is horrible!" the blonde sighed to himself and sauntered over to a shady tree. He sat down with his back against the tree's trunk and slumped over. Finny, who is usually so full of energy, was feeling lethargic from being in the hot sun for several hours now. He gently let his eyelids fall closed, trying to relax and endure the heat better. Loud talking could be heard from the mansion since all the windows were open. The voices belonged to his master, Ciel and another earl…Trancy? Was that his name? Finny wasn't completely sure. Ciel always discussed matters with people of high status, people Finnian had a great deal of respect for. Although he was just the gardener, he was always polite to guests whenever they spoke with him.
The young master had mentioned to Finny that the earl had to stop by to discuss a matter of importance. Maybe an order from the Queen? Ciel looked unhappy as he delivered this news, having a strong dislike for the blonde earl. The voices of the two boys began getting louder and sounding angry. A heated argument was taking place. They were soon shouting at each other and there was a sound of something shattering. Finnian cringed at the sound; perhaps a tea pot was thrown. Things were getting ugly.
Eventually the shouting quieted and Alois stormed out of the back door and into the garden. His butler, Claude, was following swiftly behind. Alois had an evil scowl on his face, his brows furrowed in disgust. Finnian watched quietly from the tree he was under, out in the distance.
"Your Highness," Claude began, "Do not be bothered by little Phantomhive. This is strictly business and the little brat is not worth getting angry over."
Alois scoffed at his butler, "The stupid brat has no idea what he's doing! This order also involves me and I'm way too good to stoop down to his level!" Finny still could not figure out exactly what the order was, but it obviously called for Ciel and Trancy working together. Finny couldn't pry his eyes away from the scene.
"Your Highness-" Claude began but was cut off by Alois.
"Just go back into the manor." Alois demanded, crossing his arms and pouting his lower lip. Claude simply walked back into the mansion. Finny could not believe what he just saw. What could the young master have proposed to make Earl Trancy so angry? Come to think of it, Ciel and Alois were always angry when near each other.
Alois sighed and sat on a stone bench, trying to calm down. He took deep breaths and looked around the garden, attempting to distract himself from his anger. He noticed all the pretty flowers, trees, and….someone staring at him. Alois's first reaction was anger, he did not like people eavesdropping into his affairs. He immediately stood up and started walking towards Finny, going to confront the boy.
"Oh no! He caught me staring!" Finny thought and internally started to panic. Servants should not listen in on the affairs of earls!
As Alois got closer to the gardener, he noticed that the boy had a cute, baby-face. His cheeks were flushed from the warm weather and his green eyes were very beautiful. Trancy smirked a bit to himself, the boy was certainly good-looking.
"I could have some fun with this." Alois thought to himself as all of is anger towards the gardener diminished. The earl wore a charming smile as he approached Finny, who was feeling very nervous about the situation.
"I assume you're the gardener?" Alois asked as he looked down at Finny. Finny could feel his heart racing.
"Yes, sir!" He replied, with wide eyes and nodding his head.
"Of course. No one else in their right mind would be outdoors in this dreadful heat!" Alois giggled.
Finny cracked a smile at the joke but was not sure how to reply.
"What is your name?" Alois asked, his voice sounding soft and friendly.
"My name is Finnian, sir! Or Finny for short." Finny replied, starting to feel more comfortable.
"Earl Trancy." Alois replied smoothly and extended his hand towards Finny. As soon as Finny took his hand, Alois scrunched his nose and then giggled.
"What is he- oh!"
Finny thought and then realized that his hand was very hot and sweat had soaked his entire glove!
"Oh! I'm so sorry, sir!" Finny exclaimed in panic and quickly pulled his sweaty hand away. Alois chuckled and wiped his hand on his shorts.
"It's alright." Alois assured with a smile. "I must be getting back to my duties. It was a pleasure meeting you!"
"Alright, sir! Thank you!" Finny shouted back as Alois made his way back into the mansion. He felt so star-struck.
"Wow…" Finny whispered under his breath. The earl had certainly made an impact on him. "I think….I like him."