Ronald watched the American from his spot on the rooftop. He'd been watching him for about a week now, and at the end of the month, Alfred was going to die. Alfred had just turned 19 three days previous, and Ronald couldn't help but ponder how the greats die young.

No matter how he looked at the American, the young shinigami believed that he was a great. Because even if the loudmouth blond was a cuse for constant irritation amoungst his family, he never had anything bad to say about anybody. If he said something mean, It was usually because he said what he was thinking at the wrong time. Alfred was a constant source for amusement in town, and he never failed to make people smile.

Ronald sighed. "What am I going to do now?" He wondered out loud. He was never tired of watching the blond, but he was, however, really bored with sitting up on the roof with his lawnmower.

As he sat there, wondering what to do to get rid of his rising boredom, Alfred came outside. He flopped back on the grass, and sighed. "I already know everyone. I wish I could meet someone else." He groaned. The blond man was bored out of his skull. He didn't want to see any of his friends in town, but he despretly wanted to talk to someone.

Ronald heard this, of course, and thought for a second. "I really shouldn't..." he muttered to himself. Then he shrugged and jumped down.

He walked over to the man lying on his back. "Er... Hello." Alred yelped and jumped to his feet, ready to attack the stranger. "Well, that's friendly..." He said, raising his hands to eye-level. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you. I'm just visiting for work, and I happened to get lost." Ronald fibbed.

"Oh, really?" Alfred perked up. Finally! A new face. And a cute one too. He coughed awkwardly at that thought. "U-um... Jones. Alfred F. Jones" He said, holding his hand out.

"Ronald Knox." The shinigami replied, shaking Alfred's outstretched hand. The American Gave him a million watt grin, and Ronald felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach. That had never happened before, even from all the girls he'd dated. Or from Grell. He quickly let go of Alfred's hand and looked at the kiddie pool. "So..." He thought quickly. He couldn't let Alfred know that he already knew every aspect of the blond's life. "Do you have kids?"

Alfred blinked before laughing. "Oh hell no. I'm only nineteen dude! Artie only got the pool when I wouldn't stop complaining about wanting one."

"Artie?"

"Oh, he's my Dad. I still don't understand why he's still with Francis..."

"Francis? Is that your Mum?" Ronald felt really dumb for his questions, but he really couldn't let Alfred know. And Alfred looked like he was about to pee himself from laughing so hard. He was doubled over with tears streaming down his face as he gasped for breath.

"O-Oh, God!"Snicker, gasp and he forced himself upright with a grin. "No. Francis is my Papa. If anything, Artie's the woman in the relationship." He giggled again.

"You were raised by two men?" Ronald raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And?" He seemed a little defensive about it.

"Nothing. It's perfectly fine." Ronald said shaking his head. He really didn't want to hurt Alfred's feelings. Which was strange. He usually didn't care if he pissed people off. But that was usually just Grell and William. And Ciel. And Sebastian.

Anyways, Alfred lowered his defense. "Sorry, I just... I used to get made fun of for that."

"That's stupid." Ronald said bluntly. Alfred blinked. "They're your parents. You couldn't choose them, just like those people couldn't choose theirs."

"Well, actually, I'm told that I was the one who chose them, though I cant remember that." It was Ronald's turn to blink. Of course he knew this already, but he let Alfred continue. "Mattie and I were in an orphanage when we were very young. He's not my biological brother, but we look so similar, and our birthdays are so close that we are often mistaken as twins. But appearantly, the moment Arthur and Francis walked in, looking to adopt, I was right by their side, wanting them to take Mattie and me away."

"That's... cute." Ronald said. It was, indeed, much cuter being told by the person himself, as he blushed and looked at his feet, rather than reading it in his death book.

"Aww, damn..." Alfred fisted the hair over his ears and didn't look up. He was embarrassed. He'd known Ronald for less than ten minutes, and he was already attracted to him! He always told embarrassing things to guys he found attractive. "Sorry..."

"For what?"

"I-I, nothing."

"Okay..."

"Hey, Ronald, What about you? What's your family like?"

Ronald shifted uncomfortably. His family? He couldn't remember his family. His memory only began the first day of class, when he was accepted to be a shinigami in training. "I... I don't..."

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Alfred said softly.

"I'm sure I had one once. Just not anymore. And I have no recollection of them." He explained. "Besides. I Always have Grell and William."

"Who are Grell and William?" Alfred looked at him curiously with his (not) beautiful endless sky blue eyes.

Ronald blinked for a moment. "They're my co-workers, and quite possibly my best friends. But don't tell them that I said that."

Alfred laughed, and Ronald couldn't help but chuckle with him. Alfred noticed that Ronald's eyes were beautiful, but strange. They were a forest green around the pupil, and acid green around the outside. There was a speciel term for that sort of thing. What was it?

"Central Heterochromia." He said after a minute.

"What?" Ronald blinked.

"Your eyes. They're a different color around the inside. It's a condition called heterochromia, and the specific type you have is central."

"That... That was the most scientific thing anyone has ever said to me." Ronald stuttered out. He honestly had no idea how to respond to such a thing.

Alfred chuckled. "Sorry. Science is something I'm vaguly interested in."

"Ah." Ronald said.

"This is the first time I have seen Heterochromia in a human." Alfred laughed, scratching the back of his head.

'But I'm not a human' Ronald thought. "Er... I'm sorry, but I have to get back to my hotel. I'm expecting a call."

"Oh." Alfred's smile lowered it's wattage significantly. "Do you want to come back tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Ronald laughed, walking away.

OoOoO

After one week, it seemed like Ronald and Alfred had known each other for a lifetime, rather than just a few days. They met up every morning and would go to the cafe, or the pub, or the river or in the woods. Alfred hated being indoors all the time, so the two of them were often outside wandering around, even when it was stormy.

One time, when they were in the woods across the river from Alfred's house, Alfred looked at him and asked "Have you ever been in love?"

"Yeah, once, but it ended badly."

"Really? Who?"

"Her name was Mey-Rin. She was a really cute maid in a large manor." 'The Phantomhive manor hasn't stood for a very long time.' "She was also a damn good sniper." 'She could see everything, no matter the distance. I'm scared to think of how good she'd be with the guns now.'

"What happened?" Curious blues studied him.

"Well, She was in love with someone else. She left me for him."

"What was his name?"

"Baldoroy."

"What happened to them?"

"They died."

"Oh no. What happened?" It didn't really sound as though Alfred was sincere, Like he didn't want to know about Ronald's previous love.

"Don't know." 'Old age.' "Why is this suddenly so important?"

Alfred blushed. "N-no reason..."

"Bullshit."

"Honestly! I don't know where this came from." Alfred continued denying.

"Oh." Ronald said. Then his eyes widened. "Oh." He looked at Alfred. "A-are you-"

"Gee! Look at the time! I'd better get home! I'll see you tomorrow, Ronald!" And with that, Alfred jumped up and ran off.

"Alfred... with me?" That was when the guilt truly began to gnaw at him.

Now he had to tell him. Before the guilt killed Ronald himself.

OoOoO

Two weeks, Ronald had been hanging out with Alfred. And one thing had become certain: The shinigami was in love with the American. And he couldn't keep anything from him anymore.

"Alfred?" Ronald asked, as they watched the stars while they sat on the bank of the river that flowed past Alfred's house.

"Yeah, Ronald?" His blue eyes looked as Ronald, and guilt bubbled up from his gut.

"I have to tell you something..."

"Yeah?"

"I lied to you."

"... What?"

"I'm not a human. I'm a shinigami-"

"Those death thingies that Kiku keeps telling me about? The Japanese god things?" Alfred looked confused, and hurt.

"Well, I'm not Japanese, but yeah, kinda. I am here for work, but it's not pleasant news."

"Is someone going to die?" Alfred asked, completely serious. He was pissed. Why had Ronald kept this from him?

"Yeah."

"Who." It was a demand. Not a request.

Ronald's voice failed him. His throat felt like it was closing up, and he felt tears prickling behind his eyes. His chest ached. Now he understood why Grell and William never got close to their victims. He truly couldn't say anything, so he looked at Alfred with wide heterochromatic green eyes. The tears threatened to spill as he looked at the young man that he had somehow fallen for in under three weeks.

Alfred glared at him for a moment before his expression melted into horror. "A-are you saying that... I'm the..." He trailed off.

Ronald started crying. This was the first time in his entire life that he could remember crying over someone like this. And Alfred wasn't even dead yet.

"Why are you crying? You're the one who's going to kill me!" Alfred yelled.

"I'm not going to kill you!" Ronald yelled back. "I simply collect the souls. Something else kills you. I simply take you out of your misery. I see your life and decide whether or not it would be profitable to let you live of not!"

"Then you could say that I can live!"

"I have to make a truly unbiased decision. If I act for myself, I get punished by the Shinigami Bureau."

"What does that mean?" Alfred's anger left him. For some reason, his chest filled with hope. Acting for himself? Did that mean...

"I'm in love with you Alfred! If I let you live, The Bureau would veiw it as my acting upon my feelings and punish me for insubordination!"

All Alfred cared about at that moment was that Ronald loved him. He wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter man and pulled him into a kiss. Since he had met Ronald, all he could do was imagine how Ronald felt, tasted, sounded. His hair, his lips, his voice. He had greedily wanted them all, ever since the seventh of July, the day they met.

Ronald was shocked for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck and tilted his head. Alfred really did feel something for him.

OoOoO

Ronald opened his eyes, only to see a blob that most likely Alfred with his head propped up on his hand, his other hand stroking Ronald's hair. "Good morning." The blob's face shifted slightly, and Ronald could only assume that Alfred was smiling.

"I can't see anything." Ronald groaned. "And good morning to you, as well, Alfred." Ronald smiled back at him.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can't see anything either." Alfred chuckled.

Ronald laughed, and in response, Alfred leaned down and kissed him. Then both of their stomachs growled, causing them both to laugh.

"I don't wanna get up." Ronald groaned as he stretched, the cotton sheets sliding against his naked body.

"You have to if you want food." Alfred said, giving him a soft shove in the side. Then the blond paused. "How old are you?"

"Actually or my preferred answer?"

"Actually." Blue eyes looked at him. Ronald chuckled nervously.

"Um... A-around one hundred and fourty eight. I prefer to be twenty-four." Ronald pouted.

"Woah. You're old..."

"Shut up!" Ronald buried his face in the pillow. "Mer err munrrs mler mnn mm."

"What was that?" Alfred asked, laughing.

"There are others older than me!" Ronald said, turning his head to the side so he could be understood.

Alfred only laughed again. "I don't care that you'll be the death of me." He said, leaning down and capturing Ronald's lips once again. "I love you."

Ronald grinned, getting up and finding his glasses first thing. When the world came into focus, he looked at his lover. Alfred had his glasses on.

"How long have you been wearing those?"

"Since I woke up." Alfred said, a mischivous grin adorning his features.

"You jerk!" Ronald threw a pillow at him. Alfred blocked it and laughed. Ronald pulled on his clothes and stomped out of the room, only to run into Arthur. Who he had never met. And was coming to get Alfred for breakfast.

"Umm." both of them said awkwadly.

Alfred came out a moment later, dressed messily. "Oh, hi, good morning Artie!" Alfred laughed nervously. "I see you've met Ronald. Ronald, is Arthur, Arthur, this is Ronald."

"Why was he in your room?"

"Errrrr..." Was the reaction from the lovers, looking at each other awkwardly.

Arthur sighed. "I'm never getting grandchildren." He said, shaking his head as he turned around and walked back toward the staircase and heading down to the breakfast nook.

Ronald and Alfred watched him leave before laughing. "That was better than I expected." Alfred said, eyes glowing with mirth.

Ronald giggled this time, nodding in agreement.

OoOoO

Ronald looked at the calender. The 29th of July. He couldn't do it. He honestly couldn't do it. Tomorrow, Alfred would die, and Ronald wouldn't be able to take his soul. He would be demoted, and have his Death scythe confinscated.

"Ronald? You look sick, are you okay?" Alfred asked, looking at his lover with worry written on his features.

"Of course not! You... Tomorrow..." He trailed off, glaring at the ground. This had to be the most unfair thing imposed upon anybody.

"Tomorrow..." Alfred looked at the river, watching the surface ripple in the rain.

"I wish there was something we could do."

"Too bad there isn't." A deep, stern voice said from behind them, followed by a girlish giggle in a man's voice.

Ronald turned around quickly. "Mr. Grell, Mr. William. W-what are you doing here?" He asked in a rush.

"We came to make sure that this job gets finished properly." William said, glaring at the American.

"Ooh! This reminds me of our first job together, Will! That was a wonderful time, eh?!"Grell said, doing his happy wiggle.

"Ronald? Who are these guys?" Alfred asked, leaning his chin on Ronald's shoulder, his arms wrapped around his middle.

"These are William T. Spears and Grell Sutcliff. My superiors. William is actually head of Management and Grell is a teacher." Ronald said, looking anywhere but at said superiors.

Grell looked at them. "Well, isn't this a shock. Ronald, you're usually such a womanizer."

"Please shut up, Grell." Ronald gave him the dirtiest look he'd ever given anyone. Grell simply ignored the glare, but he did shut up.

OoOoO

Ronald quickly pulled on his pants and shirt and jumped up on the roof the next morning. Alfred had eight more minutes. Grell and William were already there, waiting.

As Alfred walked out of the house, Ronald felt a pain flare inside his chest. He couldn't let him die. He couldn't let his superiors take the american's life.

A car ran over the blond, causing a bunch of pedestrians scream in shock, and Ronald gagged. Alfred's blood pooled on the street, and he was laying in it, gasping and choking on the precious substance.

"Well?" William looked at Ronald, who refused to move. When he realized that he wasn't going to be moving he prepared to jump down and do it himself.

"Wait!"

The two senior shinigami looked at him.

"Let him live."

"That's not his fate."

"Please! I'll do anything to save him! Please! Let the ambulence take him and let him live! I will do anything! Give up anything! I just cant let him die!" Ronald fell to his knees, pleading.

"You'll do anything? Give up anything?" William said, looking at him.

"Yes! Anything!" Teary eyes met his superior's.

"Will you give him up?"

"What? His eyes widened.

"He lives. His memories and feelings for you go away."

"Th-there must be something-"

"Ah~ But you just said 'anything'~." Grell said waggling his finger at him.

The ambulence was getting closer, but it was up to Ronald whether or not Alfred lived. Even if the ambulence got him, William would still take his soul.

"Fine! I agree! Just... save him..." He sobbed, covering his face with his hands as his body fell to the side.

OoOoO

"Name: Alfred Franklin Jones

Age: 20

Status: Alive

Marital status: Married.

Spouse Name: Emily Jones

Children: First one due in two months"

Ronald read the report aloud. It updated as time went on, but Ronald still read it. It was all he had left of the best month of his life.

Well, That was a fucked up ending.

Please review! I'm starving for praise!