The menace was nowhere to be found inside the mansion. He was no in the master bedroom, nor the office, nor the kitchen, or the foyer. He was not in any nook or cranny or hidden room throughout the place. His coat was still hung by the doo, and yet he went outside anyway.

He had on only a long-sleeved shirt and a black dress-shirt over it to shield him from the harsh, December air. He trudged through the snow, carelessly leaving footprints behind as he prowled the surrounding woods of the Phantomhive estate. He didn't care if he was found. He simply needed a moment to cool off.

It was literal, as the man's ears, nose, and lips turned red against his pale features, his warm breath escaping his mouth and nostrils in the form of mist. Alois felt angry, and as time went on, the direction of his anger slowly began to shift, turning back on himself. Enduring the cold now was merely a form of self-punishment. The menace truly wanted to believe Ciel when the bluenette insisted that it was all merely a misunderstanding. As he continued to think about it, maybe it was.

Ciel and Elizabeth were related by blood. They were family. Family members hug and tell each other that they love one another. Even Alois himself did that with his younger siblings. It just seemed so out of character for Ciel, though. Never before had Alois heard the watchdog say those words to anyone but him. Ciel's love belonged only to him, and as childish as it seemed now, Alois wanted to monopolize all of it.

He knew Ciel wouldn't lie to him. The man who almost died for him; the man who shoved aside his massive amounts of pride in order to cry for him; would never betray the blonde menace. Alois knew this. It was that irrational doubt of his that caused him to forget.

The Phantomhive was prideful. There was no way that he would love his cousin of all people romantically. It simply wasn't the time period. More importantly, however, there was no way on earth he would have done everything he did for Alois if he wasn't serious about him. It was Alois who told him that he would love him no matter what. It was Alois who had promised to support him while he won back part of his family, and to remain by his side no matter what. It was Alois who lied to Ciel.

Tears stung the eyes of the fair-haired demon, feeling warm against his cold cheeks as they fell, but their trails becoming freezing as they disappeared. Quickly, the Macken tried to wipe them away, only to become angry at the fact that he was crying in addition to everything else. Stream hissed outwards through his clenched teeth as his fist grew tighter and more solid through the frustration that continuously bubbled up and boiled throughout his body. With a roar, the menace swung his arm, his fist impacting against a tree.

He watched with a snarl still on his face as it fell to the ground, echoing throughout the forest. The sound would have most likely been heard from the manor, but Alois didn't care. He didn't care if he were found. The menace didn't want to hit things; he wanted to hug Ciel with ridiculous strength that only a demon could withstand. Alois knew he needed to listen to what happened, but he was still hurt. He was afraid of being wrong because of that nagging doubt in the back of his mind, reminding him of past misfortunes and possible disasters. To be found or not to be found… Alois wasn't quite sure which one he wanted. It wasn't for him to decide however. It was too late for him to, even if he could. Already, he sensed someone coming up behind him, but he only vaguely recognised their signature.

"Alois?" called a gentle, feminine voice. Immediately, the blonde whipped his head around to face the woman. It only took a second for him to take in her concerned face and features before turning away again.

"You want me to apologise, I suppose?" he asked in more of a statement. Elizabeth, however, only shook her head as she clutched at the fabric of her coat.

"No. The opposite, actually." She replied, surprising the blonde. Slowly, he looked up at her, her visage nearly disappearing against the snow. "I'm here to apologise to you."

"What for?" questioned the menace, a confused expression on his face. Truly, he had no idea what the woman had to apologise for. He didn't exactly place the blame on her. In his mind, she had no idea of the duo's romantic relationship, therefore there was no way she could have possibly known why he was upset. Regardless, he listened intently to whatever it was the Hellsing had to say.

"For barging in on everything, for one." Answered Elizabeth. "I sort of popped in out of the blue, and sort of expected things to pop back into place, to some extent. I factor in everything at all, and I'm sorry for intruding."

"You're not intruding." The blonde answered. "Ciel was happy to see you again. Now that I've met you, I really don't blame him…"

"It's not like that." She said, with a small smile. "It would never work. We're cousins, and neither of us really see each other in that sort of way. It's incredibly inappropriate." Idly, Elizabeth fidgeted with a particular part of her ring finger that was now empty. "Besides, I've already fallen in love with someone else. I have a family already and I'm still not ready to let go of that—even if most of them are gone…"

"I'm sorry…" Alois uttered, looking away.

"No! Don't be!" interrupted the woman. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm not interested in Ciel, romantically, and neither is Ciel toward me. We love each other in the way that family does. You just walked in at the wrong time."

To that, Alois looked up again, his cheeks red both from embarrassment and from the wind whipping at his cheeks. From the looks of the woman before him, there were hints of it in her as well. He couldn't think of anything to say in return. All that he could do was wait until Elizabeth decided to continue.

"You didn't hear what came before that." She informed. "You didn't hear the way that Ciel spoke of you, or see the look on his face while saying it. Alois, I haven't seen him make a face like that since we were children! You've changed him. He loves you with all of his heart, Alois!"

To that, the demon's eyes widened. Elizabeth knew. She knew about the pair's relationship, yet she didn't at all seem phased about it. In fact, she seemed more concerned about it possibly being threatened!

"I-I… uh…" His face was completely red as he scrambled for a response. While his eyes darted about, searching for a possible escape route in vain, the angel stepped closer to him.

"I read your files while I was at my— or rather, the Hellsing estate." She stated. "I knew before Ciel and I even spoke to each other again." She stopped directly in front of the man, staring him straight in the face and subsequently forcing him to do the same.

"At first, I was really confused, but when I see just how happy you make him… That doesn't matter." Elizabeth reached down to grab the nearly frozen hand of the menace and to clasp it together in her gloved ones. "So, thank you… For everything you've done for Ciel. Please keep looking after him, alright?"

Eyebrows raised, eyes wide, and a look of all-around surprise plastered across Alois' face, he was speechless. Ecstatic, but speechless. Did this mean that he somehow won the woman's approval? More importantly, did Ciel really talk about him like that to Elizabeth? The Phantomhive really was what Alois thought he was. He wasn't a liar. He was Alois' most precious person, and it went both ways.

"I have to go find him…" Alois finally declared. "I need to go tell him I'm sorry. I just… When I see you next to him, I get jealous… Ciel really deserves a pretty girl, and not me."

"You are my pretty girl, though." Spoke up another voice; one that the blonde knew well. He didn't even have to turn to see who it was. He could already sense them. Regardless, his head whipped around in the direction of the voice while the warmth of the angel's hand disappeared as she let go. There, the bluenette stood with a warm smile, having heard what the blonde had said. "You don't need to say you're sorry, either."

"Ciel!" called the menace, leaving the angel's side in favour of the Phantomhive's. Elizabeth paid no mind to it as she instead smiled at the sight of the blonde dashing over to his beau and Ciel wrapping his arms around the man.

"I'm sorry!" Alois said, ignoring both Ciel saying it was unnecessary and the bluenette calling him a "girl" in favour of hugging him as tightly as he could. "I'm so sorry… I knew better, but I—"

"I already said you didn't have to say that." Interrupted the watchdog, pecking the other demon on the cheek. "You're freezing!" he declared, pushing the other man away briefly before undoing the buttons of his coat.

He held the garment open with both hands before stepping forward again and wrapping his arms around Alois again, trapping him in his coat. The Macken didn't mind in the slightest, simply snaking his arms back around the bluenette's waist and closing his eyes as he was warmed up and resting his cold cheek against Ciel's warm one. While he didn't want to move, he turned his head anyway to kiss his beau's face, causing him to grin.

"I love you most." Playfully whispered the bluenette into the other demon's ear, his smile widening when the menace hid his face in the older demon's neck.

"Ciel…" interrupted the angel, grabbing both of their attention. Alois froze in place while his boyfriend looked up at the Hellsing.

"Yes, Lizzie?" the bluenette asked. Without skipping a single beat, Elizabeth answered.

"He's so cute~!" she excitedly declared. "You have to keep him!"