Author's note: Enjoy the update! That's all I can say right now cause I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours. Woohhh I need more coffee...

Warnings: Eh, none

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Sometimes Phipps wasn't sure if Grey was an adult or a child in an adult's body.

On a warm June day, they were out an about on the London streets, doing errands for their queen. She complained of having a headache today and as her butlers, they made sure that her errands would be finished. Phipps had no problem with going out, but when Grey decided to follow, he knew it would bring nothing but trouble.

So, here he was, standing in the middle of an alley way as Grey started to swordfight with some street thugs.

The shorter man laughed as he stabbed one man in the shoulder, his sword making a sickening crunch as it impacted the bone. The thug screamed, holding his shoulder in pain as Grey removed the sword. The other thugs glanced warily, but Grey smiled victoriously. "Come on," he taunted, waving the sword in an intricate manner. "Who else wants to challenge me? Afraid to lose?"

The men, obviously seeing what had happened to five of their friends, didn't want to suffer the same fate. They ran off, helping their wounded friends and high tailed it out of the alley before Grey could pounce on them again. The white haired man sighed in disappointment. "That was no fun. Now I'm hungry."

"You just ate two hours ago," Phipps commented dryly. "You'll have to wait until we return to the palace."

Grey made a face. "You're no fun."

"We have a job to do; come on."

The shorter man gave a dramatic sigh, but complied with Phipps' command. He was a bit surprised that Grey didn't make some sort of protest, but had a feeling that the other Charles was up to something. A bored Grey was never someone he wished anyone would have to deal with. Unfortunately, most of Grey's bored moods happened when he was around. And they almost always happened in public.

The first stop was at the tailor's shop. Nina Hopkins, an extremely talented, yet overly ambitious woman for her time, had a new dress made specifically for the queen. No one else would have the dress, she had stated quite proudly when showing the queen the design. It would truly be one of a kind. And only fitting that it would belong to the queen. He stood next to the eccentric woman, looking with interest at her newest designs. As a fellow tailor, he could appreciate her work. Vice-versa, she appreciated his, always complimenting his uniform.

"You must tell me where you got that fabric," she enthuses, tugging at the material of his white shirt. "Is it cotton? Silk? Ooohhh, tell me what it is, Phipps!"

"It's a secret." He let out a tiny smirk, watching as she got all flustered.

"Oh, you're impossible!" she snapped, stomping away quite childishly. "One day you will tell me!"

CRASH!

They both turned around, a bunch of mannequins falling over at an impossibly fast rate. He reacted immediately, catching one with his right hand and his left grasping onto the others tightly. He dashed forward, letting one rest against his back while catching the other with his foot. Nina grabbed the one laying on his foot, propping it up and lifting the other one from his back. "What on earth?" she grumbled, eyes narrowing towards where the first mannequin fell. "Who did that?"

Grey just stood there, barely feigning innocence. "Oops," he looked toward their annoyed faces. "My hand slipped."

Phipps just rolled his eyes, handing the seamstress her pay before taking the large parcel from the counter. Grey followed along, unusually silent as Nina glared daggers into his back. Maybe taking Grey shopping was a bad idea.

The next stop was the tea store, where many types of teas and coffees were sold. The whole store smelled of a blend of everything sold in the shop, invading his nose in a pleasant way. The nobles who owned this company were on holiday in Paris, so their employees were left to tend to the store. Now, what did he need to get again? Ah yes, chamomile. And maybe some sleep powder to use on Grey so he didn't wake him up at one in the morning asking for a snack. Actually, it was more like demanding for a snack.

"Are we done yet?" Grey materialized next to him, looking rather bored at the crates and packages of tea. "I'm hungry."

Lord, what else was new? "Almost," he replied. "We just need to go to a few more places so I can prepare tonight's dinner."

"Fine."

Leaving the tea store without too much trouble, they took a carriage to the other side of the town, getting some more things. While it was a seemingly normal day to most people, it was actually a holiday in the palace household. Today was John Brown's birthday, and it was the queen's idea to throw a little party. "Wouldn't a surprise party be nice?" she'd said to them while he went go get her favorite parasol. "He does so much for me. It would show how much we care."

So, besides getting stuff for the queen, (that was the cover story), they were mostly in town to get supplies. The balloons would come later on that evening, so all they really needed were streamers, party hats, and a new scabbard they both had pooled their money together to buy for their friend.

By the time they returned to the castle, the party had already been set up. Earlier that day, he made a cake so all he needed to do was decorate it. The Queen had a large smile on her face, ordering the other servants on where to put things. Grey disappeared the minute they arrived, taking the scabbard with him. Phipps had no idea on why he had taken it, but decided it wasn't worth questioning.

"Is it ready?" Victoria asked him, peering over his shoulder. Well, trying to peer over his shoulder; she was several inches shorter than him. "It looks good. You think John will like it?"

"I'm sure," he replied honestly. "I don't recall a single thing I've made that John disliked."

"Good."

She walked off, pride in her step as she looked over the decorations in place. Adding one more candle to the cake, he smiled in triumph. There was no other cake that could be as good as his. Not even Sebastian's.

"Phipps, is it done yet?"

He glanced over to Grey, who for some reason, had a lollipop hanging in his mouth. "Yes," he rolled his eyes a little. "But you can't have any."

"Please?"

"Grey, your birthday isn't for another six months."

Grey sighed. "But it looks so good!"

Before he could reply, a maid rushed into the kitchen. "He's on his way! We have to hide!" she clapped her hands in glee before scampering off. "Come on; you don't want to miss it!"

The lights in the entertainment room had been dimmed by one of the other servants, and everyone was hiding behind furniture. He raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't object and hid underneath one of the desks, only to meet Grey's eyes. "Hey!" the smaller man snapped. "This is my hiding spot! Get your own!"

"It's too late; scoot over."

Grey sighed irritably, but complied. It was a tight squeeze, making both of them uncomfortable. In the end, Phipps had both of Grey's feet in his face and the right side of Grey's face was smashed against the wall of the desk. The smaller man gave him the most nasties glare he could muster, but to Phipps, it looked like he was a giving a sort of grimace. Needless to say, he smirked.

Click.

The door opened and the servant who turned the lights off tuned them back on. "SURPRISE!" people shouted, rushing towards a rather stunned looking John, who drew out his sword in shock. He put it away when he realized what was happening; a faint blush on his cheeks. The Queen took his arm into hers, smiling widely. "Happy birthday, John."

The other butler's blush only darkened. "Thanks."

The party was a success, even if it was a small one. John seemed to like it, even though he was probably a little displeased at the thought of turning twenty-five. Still, when he blew out his candles, a smile could be seen.

Phipps then turned to Grey. "You can have your cake now."

"Yes!"

Well, review!