The cold water that Bardroy splashed on his face did little to snap him out of his stupor. After excusing himself from the table, he had run to the bathroom in an attempt to get a grip on things. I must be ill, he thought to himself with a loud sigh, sitting himself down on the closed toilet suit to rest. "Maybe I should lay off of the smokes. I'm really not as energetic as I used to be…"

This reasoning appeased him for only a few seconds. He knew the cause of this problem, but did not dare think of it, it brought back too many painful memories. I have a new life here…I don't need to think about any of it any more…none of the war…nothing of that man…nothing… Bardroy looked in the mirror again, grinning toothily "I'm fine!" he announced to no one in particular "Hell, I'm better than fine! This is great news!" Without bothering to remove his ridiculous attire, Bardroy grabbed the door and swung it open, marching back to the table with a grin still on his face.

"Musta been one helluva poop!" Soma said, looking at Bardroy's grin and laughing.

"Hunh?" Bardroy stared at him in confusion until he remembered where he had been "Uh…no, I wasn't-"

"So then what were you doing?" Soma asked, smile never fading. Bardroy couldn't think of a reply to what he thought Soma might be implying, so he decided chucking a glass at Soma's head would be answer enough. Agni caught the glass well before it his master, speaking:

"I implore you; please do not throw things at my master."

Soma stuck his tongue out at Bardroy; Bardroy retaliated with a flip of his middle finger, an action which confused Soma. Not wanting to waste his time explaining the offensive gesture, Bardroy turned to William, who had finished eating and now looked deep in though.

"Hey, Will, what-"

"William."

"Okay, fine. William." Bardroy rolled his eyes "Is there anything we can do to help? I'm rather uneasy about us just sitting here if someone is out prowling the mansion."

"There is no need to worry. I am a professional, after all."

"A professional what?"

"A professional." William didn't continue, he simply stood up and turned away. Grell sighed, standing up as well and, keeping his head ducked, stood at William's side.

Apparently, this made Soma decide to risk getting glass in his face again "So are you guys a couple or what?" he asked, seeming genuinely curious. Williams only reply was an icy glare directed right at Soma, who did not even flinch "Hey, I was just asking!"

"Well next time 'just ask' a question that makes sense" William said, his expression never changing a bit. He was obviously trying to ignore Grell laughing behind him, but the twitch of his eyebrow gave away his annoyance.

Finny rose, apparently not paying any attention to what was going on "Bard? Would you come with me to the garden?" His voice had a sugary sweetness too it, like the voice of a child trying to get a new toy "I don't want to get hurt by any scary person, but I have chores to do…"

"Sure" Bardroy shrugged "But do you really need to do them? It's covered in snow outside!"

"Well, there's the greenhouse!" Finny exclaimed, obviously knowing much more about the subject than Bardroy. His rosy cheeks flushed with excitement "It's so pretty in there this time of year!" Finny grabbed onto Bardroy's wrist tightly, his grip surprisingly strong, and he dragged Bardroy out of the house like he was a paper doll. Bardroy found himself running to keep pace with Finny so that he could avoid getting dragged along in the snow.

Finally, the pair reached the greenhouse, and Bardroy let out a sigh of happiness as soon as he was outside of the cold winter air. The greenhouse was large and beautiful; it emanated a cheery glow and was filled with a multitude of flowers and small crops.

Ever since he had started to feel sick, Bardroy had been unable to feel normal. But now, in this cozy greenhouse hidden on the estate, he realized how content he was. He sat down on one of the padded chairs in the center, watching Finny work.

For having such dangerous strength, Finny handled the plants with surprising delicacy. Watering, trimming, checking each plant, it seemed like an awful lot of work to Bardroy. He was never a patient man; he preferred to get things done swiftly and easily, almost as an instinct. But when it came to Finny…Bardroy realized he could watch him all day and not get bored. His wandering mind pictured Finny in a green, flowing dress, a slight amount of makeup on his face along with a smile. These thoughts made Bardroy realize just how much he wanted Finny to be female, and then he began to wonder if it mattered. I'm not gay. Bardroy decided Finny is a woman, just with the wrong parts. It's normal to love a woman…

Finny continued with his work, humming a tune Bardroy did not recognize. He swung his hips as he walked every once in a while, it was almost impossible to notice, but Bardroy saw it right away. He stood up, walking over to Finny and wrapping his arms around him.

"What do you need, Bard?" Finny asked, turning his head to look at him.

"You know, you're pretty good at gardening, kid." Bardroy answered, then immediately felt stupid Really? I mean come on! How stupid was that?

"Oh, thanks! I do my best! Heh~" Finny grinned, holding onto the arms around him and swinging back and forth "Because I love my job and everyone at the estate!"

Bardroy nodded "Me too…I suppose."

The grin on Finny's face disappeared and he appeared to be deep in thought for a few seconds "Hey Bard….is it only men and women that can like each other?"

"What's this all of a sudden?" Shocked, Bardroy tilted his head What a random question!

"I mean, can people of the same gender like…..like-like each other?"

Bardroy stared, open-mouthed, at Finny's curious face. There were no words to describe his shock at Finny's question. No words to describe the frightening coincidence. No words to-

Aw, fuck it. Bardroy stopped staring incredulously and leaned forward, his lips brushing against Finny's trembling ones before pressing forward, kissing him forcefully.

Finny's eyes widened now, but after only a seconds his thin lips parted and he consented, sharing a deep kiss with Bardroy on the cold winter morning, bathed in the warm lights of the greenhouse.

xxxxxxx

William frowned, walking through the snow as quickly as possible "Sutcliff, keep up with me."

Grell was lagging behind, wrapped up in a thick coat and shivering. The cold had somehow managed to redden his face "C-can we go inside soon? It's c-cold-d-d…."

William felt himself sigh "Just a little while longer of searching, and then we'll go inside."

The two of them had been outside for several hours, every couple of seconds Grell would complain about the cold, and William had learned to tune him out. At least his constant whining reminded William of who this brown-haired butler really was. There had been neither hide nor hair of the demon on the property. William even found himself doubting his observances; maybe he had really only seen Sebastian, after all.

He sneezed, covering his nose and mouth with one sleeve. His clothes didn't help him s stay warm, the thin suit doing little to nothing against the cold, cold air. His nose was numb, and for a second William wondered if his face was as red as Grell's. He sneezed again, and Grell spoke, sounding worried:

"Are you all right, Will?"

"I'm fine!" William's voice had a sharp bite to it that was instantly demolished by another sneeze.

Pressure appeared on William's arm and he realized Grell had grabbed it "We should go back. You'll catch a cold out here." William realized he was being dragged back into the house.

"No, Sutcliff. We need to-"

"We need to go back into the house and not be so cold. You know that." Grell smiled, walking into the mansion with William in tow. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace, and that became the pair's apparent destination. Tanaka was already sitting there, sipping his tea. He looked over at the two of them and smiled pleasantly, laughing for a few seconds.

Bothered by this, William sat down in front of the fire. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been very, very cold out there. He looked to his right to see Grell sit down beside him, hugging his knees to his chest. William noticed that Grell's body had always been kind of awkward, his limbs thin and weak-looking, yet it was endearing in its own way, like a puppy that would trip over its own feet. William shook his head I really need to stop comparing Grell to a puppy. I mean…really?

"So do you think we'll be safe tonight?" William asked, then added hastily "From what we were looking for, I mean."

"Sure. I doubt it even knows we're here."

"Oh ho ho ho ho…" Tanaka was laughing again, Grell smiled pleasantly, back in character:

"Is something funny?"

Tanaka just shrugged, taking another sip of his tea. Grell sighed and turned back to William "I think we might want to head to bed soon, we haven't seen anything all day, so we should be fine."

William frowned "I suppose so…..I didn't bring any work with me….darn it…."

"Oh, come on. You need some sleep." Grell said, looking out the window "The sun's setting."

"So?"

"So it'll be dark soon! We need a lot of sleep to prepare for the morning!" Grell stood up, brushing himself off.

William sighed, stretching before standing. He actually was looking forward to a nice, warm bed. He walked upstairs to the guest room with Grell "Change into your pajamas in a bathroom."

"Whyyy? We're both guys!"

"That's the first time I think you've admitted that."

Grell pouted, grabbing a suitcase and leaving the room. William unbuttoned his dress shirt, it was soaking wet by now. He took off his pants and noticed a mirror. He stared at it for a few seconds, frowning.

Hey, Grell. Why are you always staring in that mirror?

Because, SPEARS, some of us actually like to look professional before class!

I don't need a mirror to look right.

Ugh, do you ever shut up about yourself? I'm sick of being your partner…you fucking newbie….

A sigh escaped William, those days were long gone. Grell was so different back then; he was hostile and always angry, probably because he had such a hard time being accepted. Grell always acted like a smart-ass, and was never interested in girls, for obvious reasons.

William put on some pajama pants, sitting down on the bed. Grell entered the room, wearing a nightgown that was surprisingly conservative. It was red, cotton, and lace hung off of the edges. William coughed; covering his mouth He's teasing me. Grell knows what he's been doing to me THE ENTIRE TIME HE'S IN THIS DAMN DISGUISE! William clenched his teeth when Grell sat down next to him, his brown hair falling in waves dawn his back and curling ever so slightly at the ends. The sudden urge to run his fingers through that hair hit William like a truck. He couldn't take it, he just couldn-

"Is something the matter, Will?" Grell asked, peering at him through his glasses.

That was the final straw, William snapped "Is there something wrong?" he repeated mockingly "Of course there is, you stupid bastard! I'm sick of you! Sick of your games, sick of seeing your ugly face! Get the hell out of this room, you're sleeping on the couch!" His hands were curled into fists at his sides. Grell was staring at him in pure shock, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. "GO!" William practically screamed, shaking with rage.

Still looking completely shocked, Grell stood up and left the room. William lay back on the bed Where did that come from? he wondered, knowing he wasn't the type to yell. He slammed the mattress with one fist, still angry. He wondered briefly if he was angry at Grell or himself.

xxxxx

Grell growled to nothing in particular, storming down the stairs What did I do? Nothing! I didn't even provoke Will that time! Is he on his period or something? The very idea of William having a period helped to cheer Grell a little bit, enough so he could remember he was supposed to be a timid butler. He slowed his pace, allowing himself to look around the beautiful mansion.

Grell barely noticed the tug on the sleeve of his gown. He turned to see the maid What was her name..? Mey-Rin, I think. She tilted her head "Did you two have a fight?"

Grell blinked, surprised when he heard her voice. It wasn't nearly as shaky as it usually was; maybe she was just calmer at night. Grell shrugged "I-I suppose." he said quietly, not sure of what happened himself.

"Well, you shouldn't have to sleep on a couch. Come on." Mey-Rin held on to Grell's arm, walking to her room.

"But…you're female! And I'm-"

"I doubt it would be inappropriate. You're not interested in girls, are you?"

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Grell, you're wearing a nightgown, why wouldn't it be obvious?" Mey-Rin smiled, swinging Grell's arm back and forth as they entered the room. It was small, quarters for a servant, but it was quite quaint in its own way.

Mey-Rin smiled "You know, if you really want William to like you more, you shouldn't wear such a plane dress!"

"What? How-why-you!"

"I'm just saying, yes I am! You need to work hard!" Mey-Rin nodded, walking over to a closet and opening it, pulling out a satin nightgown "I bought this in the city, but red doesn't suit me too well; I'll leave the room, so try it on!" she gave it to Grell and left the room. Grell looked at the nightgown, it was gorgeous, no doubt, but a little too provocative for his role. Finally, he decided to put it on. It felt wonderful on his skin, and even though it was an awkward fit like all female clothing seemed to be, it wasn't too tight or loose, albeit a bit short. He looked at himself in a mirror at the edge of the room, smiling when he realized he could be good-looking in this form, too. But…it's a bit more cute than sexy… Grell realized.

After a while, Mey-Rin entered, and then squealed with delight "So cute, yes yes!" She said, stomping a foot. Grell blinked and Mey-Rin grabbed a brush "Let me braid your hair, pleeeaseeee…" She begged, not giving Grell much choice as she sat him down and began to brush through his hair. Strangely enough, it felt good, no one had ever brushed Grell's hair before, he had never even let his mum touch it.

About a minute passed until Mey-Rin spoke "I'm sorry…have I been rude? I never really had a female friend before…"

"Me neither." Grell replied without thinking.

"You haven't? But you're adora- oh my! Are you a natural readhead? Your roots!"

Grell realized with horror that he must have let a bit of his concentration slip, his hair must've began to turn red Oh well, no turning back now "Uhm….yes, but red hair doesn't suit me…."

"Oh, come on! Tch, I think red hair is great! I love being a redhead, yes I do!"

Grell smiled If only you knew… "The Madame didn't want me to have hair like hers, so I followed her wishes to the end, I suppose."

At this, Mey-Rin was silent, probably remembering only fond memories of Madame Red. After a while, she finished braiding Grell's hair and he looked in a mirror. He couldn't believe how small and innocent he looked, unable to help smiling "Thanks…"

"No problem~" Mey-Rin yawned "I think it's time to hit the hay, though. It's been a long day for me, and I bet it was that way for you, too." She went to her bed "Come on, turn the lights out on the way, okay?"

Grell stared at her for a few seconds before turning off the light and crawling into bed with her. He couldn't help but smile wider.

He had never had any female friends, he doubted any would accept the fact that he was gay…but now he had finally found one. Even if she was human, Grell was happy to have her.