"I still can't believe we're allowed to come." Bard called out from the bathroom where he was changing.

Finny grinned at his reflection in the mirror, adjusting the light green bowtie Sebastian had given him. "I know! It's so great. We're gonna get to dance and meet people and everything!"

Just then, the chef stepped out of the bathroom. "Alright, how do I look?" he asked. Sebastian had given him the exact same suit as he had given Finny, except with a blue bowtie instead of a green one. Bard's bowtie was hanging slightly askew, but honestly the gardener hadn't expected anything else.

"Wow, Bard, you look nice!" exclaimed Finny, clapping. "How about me? Do I look good?"

"Yeah, you do." Bard tousled Finny's strawberry-blonde hair affectionately. The latter squealed in indignation and pushed the chef's hand away.

"Hey, I just brushed my hair!"

"Oh, sorry, kid…"

Just then, the door opened a crack. "Have you two changed?" Mey-Rin's voice floated inside.

"Yeah." replied Bard.

The door opened the rest of the way, and the maid entered. She was wearing a loose, pink dress, and her hair was down, spilling out over her shoulders. "Oh, you two look so handsome, yes you do!" she gushed when she saw them.

Bard and Finny were staring at her. "Wow, Mey-Rin, you look soooo pretty!" Finny said.

Mey-Rin blushed as pink as her dress and hid her face in her hands. "Oh, Finny, don't say that…"

"Hey, the kid's right." Bard clapped her on the back. "You look good. Now, where's the party at? Let's go!" He ran out. Finny and Mey-Rin glanced at each other briefly, and then followed him.

The ballroom was already bustling with people when the servants arrived. Impressed and a little intimidated, the three of them wandered inside. The lights were low, and people were dancing. "Wow!" exclaimed Finny.

Bard immediately glanced over at the buffet. "Free food!" he shouted, and dashed off. Mey-Rin and Finny watched him, amused.

"I'm kind of thirsty, yes I am." Mey-Rin said. "Want to come with me over to the buffet?"

"Okay!" Finny replied.

The maid smiled. "Great." Taking Finny's hand into her own, she headed after Bard.

The buffet table was full of expertly-made food. The way Bard was looking at it all, it was clear that he had had no part in making any of it. He was filling a bowl with stew.

"For someone who isn't the chef," Bard remarked, "that Sebastian sure is pretty talented, eh?"

"Mister Sebastian is amazing, yes he is!" responded Mey-Rin, pouring herself a glass of water. "He never ceases to amaze me."

Finny, who was taking a piece of cake from a platter nearby, nodded fervently. "Oh, yes. I wish he'd teach us a few tricks!" he laughed, slicing off a bit of his cake with a fork and popping it into his mouth. Immediately, his turquoise eyes widened. "Mmm! Oh, wow! This cake is so good, you guys!"

"Is it?" asked Bard, who was sipping at his stew. "I'll have to grab some later."

Finny nodded. He held out his plate to Mey-Rin. "Try some." he offered.

"Alright." She took his fork and used it to take a bit of the cake, which she put into her mouth. "Mm, that is good!" she said, smiling and handing him his fork back. "There's something strange about it, though. I can't put my finger on it…"

"Strange?" Finny repeated, frowning.

"Not bad strange, just… strange." she clarified. "There's an ingredient in there that I just can't figure out."

"Oh, is that all?" As if a switch had been flipped, the grin was back on Finny's face just as fast as it had vanished. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing bad."

"No." agreed the maid. "I bet- oh, look, it's the young master and Mister Sebastian!"

Finny and Bard turned to look at where she was looking, as did several other people who were loitering around nearby. In a matter of seconds, everyone in the room was staring at Ciel Phantomhive, who was descending the stairs in the centre of the room. Right behind the young earl was Sebastian, dressed all in black as usual.

"There they are!" gasped Finny excitedly, his fork dangling from his mouth as he beamed. "Wow, the young master looks so fancy."

"And look at Mister Sebastian!" gushed Mey-Rin, clasping her hands together tightly. "He sure does look handsome…"

People all around the room began to clap, so the three servants did as well. The sour look on Ciel's face did not change at all; in fact, he almost seemed to frown more.

"Is that really the Earl Phantomhive?" whispered someone incredulously from behind the servants. "He's so… young."

Finny giggled at this comment, his laughter slightly muffled by the cake in his mouth. "Everyone says that. It's so silly."

"We're just used to it." Bard reminded him. "You've gotta admit that it is kinda strange, with the young master bein' so young."

The gardener nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Even I'm older than him!" He took another bite of his cake, and grinned. "Mmm. Bard, you've got to try this."

"Maybe later, kid." said the cook, tousling Finny's hair again. "I'm gonna go see if I can find someone good-lookin' to dance with." He waved at the other two servants before sauntering out into the crowd.

"Bye!" called Finny.

"Finny," began Mey-Rin. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and freshen up. I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?"

"Okay!" said Finny. "I'll be here, waiting."

The maid patted him on the shoulder fondly before heading off toward the ladies' bathroom.

xXx

When Mey-Rin returned to the buffet table, roughly five minutes later, she found that the young gardener was still standing where he had been before, eating cake and grinning like an idiot. Seeing his grin made her smile as she headed back over to him.

"You look happy, yes you do." she remarked as she came up beside him.

Finny giggled shrilly. "Oh my God, do I? Do I look happy?" He giggled again. "Well, I am happy. I am!"

"Oh… okay?" Mey-Rin laughed nervously. He was acting a bit… strange. "Finny, is that your second piece of cake?"

"Second? No way!" The gardener giggled once more. "It's my third."

"Third?" Mey-Rin echoed incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. It's just sooooo good." he replied. "What do you care?"

"Um… I don't, I suppose." The magenta-haired woman frowned. There was definitely something weird going on. "Finny, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes! I'm great!" He jumped up and down, beaming widely. "Great! Great! I feel amazing!"
"Whoa, someone's happy." commented a voice from behind them. Mey-Rin turned to see Bard returning. There was a cherry-red lipstick mark on his cheek and his blue eyes were bright with excitement.

"Me!" shouted Finny, almost dropping his plate. "I'm happy!"

Mey-Rin stood on her tiptoes to lean toward Bard. "He's being weird." she whispered in his ear. "Do you think he's just excited to be at the ball, or…"

"He does look a bit flushed." Bard muttered back. He stepped toward Finny. "Hey, kid. C'mere for a second."

"Oh, boy!" Finny dashed over to the cook, looking up expectantly into his face.

Bard raised a hand and felt Finny's forehead. "Hmm." he murmured. "He doesn't feel warm at all…"

"You think he's running a fever?" Mey-Rin asked.

"I'm not sick." Finny told them. "I feel just fine. No… I feel amazing!"

"Okay." Bard laughed, and turned back to Mey-Rin. "He's just happy, then, I suppose."

"He's always happy." she reminded him. "But I've never seen him like this."

"It's not like the kid gets to go to balls every day." Bard said. "Just let him have his fun."

"Mey-Rin!" exclaimed Finny suddenly.

Mey-Rin turned to him at the sound of her name. "Um… yes, Finny?"

"Come on, let's go dance!" shouted the blonde boy, grabbing her hand. "Let's go! It'll be soooo fun!"

"Wait… you want to da-" Mey-Rin's words were cut as Finny threw his plate at Bard and dashed off into the crowd, still holding her hand tightly. She was forced to run after him, trying not to trip with her high heels. "Finny, stop!" she cried, but he didn't comply.

"Oh, hell." she heard Bard growl from behind them.

Just then, Finny let go of Mey-Rin's hand suddenly. She stumbled forward and almost fell, but Bard grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her back to her feet.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm alright… Thank you." She reached up to brush her hair from her eyes. "What's gotten into him!?"

"This." Bard held up Finny's plate. "The icing's got rum in it."

"What?" gasped Mey-Rin. "Does that mean…"

"Yeah." replied the cook. "The kid's drunk."

"Oh my God." whispered the maid. "But… how can that be? It was only cake icing, yes it was…"

"Well, he's young, for one." explained Bard. "And he's pretty small, y'know, short. Besides, I'm presumin' that this is his first time havin' alcohol. How many pieces did he eat, anyway?"

"Three."

"Three!?"
Mey-Rin nodded, frowning. "Yes, he- oh!"

Finny had climbed the stairs in the centre of the room, and was standing at the very top. "Hi, everyone!" he shouted.

"Oh, God, what's he doin' now?" Bard hissed. "Sebastian's gonna kill us."

"Hellooooooo!" Finny continued. People in the crowd were starting to look now; Mey-Rin noticed both Sebastian and Ciel looking disgruntled a few metres away from her and Bard. Ciel was whispering something into Sebastian's ear. The latter was nodding slowly. Dread crept into Mey-Rin like a cold fog.

"We have to get him down from there, yes we do!" she said. "Come on!"

The two servants ran toward the stairs, pushing through the dense crowd and slipping between waltzing couples. Mey-Rin's heart was pounding so hard she felt dizzy as they began climbing the stairs. People are looking, yes they are, she thought bitterly, wishing she was invisible.

"Hey! Guys!" Finny exclaimed when he saw them coming. "The view's amazing up here, come look…"

As soon as they reached him, Bard grabbed Finny and swung him unceremoniously up onto his shoulder. "Let's go." the cook murmured to Mey-Rin, who was more than happy to leave.

Sebastian went up the stairs as they were coming down. "We apologize for the distraction." he addressed the ballroom. "It will not happen again. Please carry on."

When the servants reached the bottom of the stairs again, they were met with an irate Ciel. "What the hell was that?" the young earl seethed. "You're making a fool of the Phantomhive name!"

"Sorry, young master!" wailed the maid, wringing her hands desperately. "Finny is drunk, you see… he ate a lot of the rum cake, he did…"

"It was soooooo good!" squeaked Finny, waving his arms around. "Try some, young master! Try some now!"

Ciel stared disdainfully at Finny for a few moments before looking back to Mey-Rin. "Put him to bed." he ordered. "You and Bardroy can come back afterward if you want, but make sure Finnian is asleep before you leave. I don't want him coming back here and wreaking havoc again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." She turned to Bard, who nodded. The three of them headed out of the ballroom and toward the bedroom that the three of them shared.

"Why are we going to bed now?" Finny asked on the way. "I'm not tiiiiired yet."

"Oh, you will be." Mey-Rin told him, reaching over and tousling his hair playfully. He giggled.

When they got inside, Bard dumped the gardener unceremoniously on his bed. "Now to get you all tucked in, kid." the cook said gruffly, taking hold of Finny's sheets.

Mey-Rin placed her hand on top of his. "I can take it from here." she told him. "You go back, alright? I'll meet you there, yes I will."

"Well, if you're sure…" Bard grinned. "Thanks, Mey-Rin!" He rushed back out, grabbing a pack of cigarettes from his bedside table on the way out.

Finny was looking up at the maid with huge, turquoise eyes. "Are you staying?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She nodded, smiling warmly as she pulled his sheets up to his chin. "Yes, I'm staying."

He smiled sleepily back. "You're so nice, Mey-Rin." he said, his words punctuated by a yawn.

"You're pretty nice, too, Finny." she replied, tenderly brushing his hair from his face.

"I love you." he whispered, fumbling about for her hand.

"Oh, I love you too." Mey-Rin giggled.

"No." He looked solemn all of a sudden. "I do. I really do. I love you, Mey-Rin, I love you so much. I want to hug you and kiss you and get married with you."

Mey-Rin's breath caught in her throat. She could feel her heart beating fast and hard, threatening to break free of her ribs and fly toward the gardener- the gardener who had stolen it in the first place.

She had actually liked Finny in that way for a while. Sure, he would always be her best friend, the little boy that showed up at the Manor who she had felt the need to protect. But he wasn't that little boy anymore, not really. She admired his optimism and the way he always had a smile. He was sensitive but so very, very strong- and not just physically. The fact that he liked her back was astounding- but were those words really Finny's, or the rum's?

"My God, Finny, I love you too." she whispered back.

His face lit up. "Really? That's great! That's so amazing!" He sat up, throwing his sheets off. "Let's go get married!"

Mey-Rin gently pushed him back down. "Um… how about in the morning?" she lied. "I'm pretty tired."

"Okay." Finny rubbed his eyes, and yawned again. "I'm sleepy, too." He closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Mey-Rin…"

"Goodnight." She leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. A small smile spread across his face when she did so.

His smile was the last thing she saw before she went back to the party, and she carried her own smile with her for the rest of the night.

xXx

The next morning, when Mey-Rin and Bard woke up, they found that Finny was still fast asleep. "Do we wake him up?" Bard asked, smirking.

The maid was about to say "no", because she knew Finny would be hungover and she didn't want him to suffer. But she needed to see whether he remembered what he had said the previous night. "Yes!" she replied.

"Good." Bard grinned, and they crept over to Finny's bed. The cook grabbed the gardener by the shoulders and shook him. "Hey. Kid. Finny, wake up!" he nearly shouted.

Finny rolled over, his eyes shut tightly. "Oww… Bard… no…" he whimpered.

Mey-Rin frowned. "Come on, Finny, wake up." she chided.

"Oww… no… the sun is attacking me… oww…"

Bard clapped Finny on the back, laughing. "Oh, kid, you were pretty loopy last night. Well, I'll see you two later." He headed out, still laughing loudly.

Mey-Rin closed the curtains to block the sun, and sat down on Finny's bed beside him. "How do you feel?" she asked gently.

"Not great." he mumbled.

"Do you, um…" She took a deep breath. "Do you remember what you said last night? To me?"

He looked up at her, squinting. "Yes… about, um… loving you?"

"Right." Mey-Rin replied.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Mad?" Her eyes widened from behind her round glasses. "No, of course not, Finny! I wasn't mad at all. In fact, I was… I was happy. Because I… well, I love you too." She could feel heat creeping into her face, and knew that she was turning very red. "But I wasn't sure if you were only saying those things because you were drunk."

"No. I wasn't." Finny took her hand in his and smiled weakly. "I really do love you, Mey-Rin, and I meant every single word I said. Except for getting married today," he added as an afterthought. "We're much too young for that."

"Yes, that's true." The maid laughed. "So you meant it? You really do love me, too?"

"Of course I do!" He sat up, and then winced, rubbing his forehead. "Oww. My head hurts like crazy."

"Why don't you go back to bed?" suggested Mey-Rin, brushing his hair from his face. "I'm sure the young master will understand."

"Okay." Finny lay back down, sighing in contentment as his head sank into the pillow. "I'll see you later, Mey-Rin. I love you."

"Oh, I love you too." she whispered.

And as she left the room to go have breakfast, she decided that, even though it had been a crazy night and Finny was paying for it now, maybe him getting drunk wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

end