Alois' brow hurt from being furrowed for so long as he waded through the crowd of faceless guests in the ballroom. The black and white colours of everything in the room was starting to hurt his eyes, and he craved just a splash of colour. The man didn't like this. None of the faceless figures seemed to pay him any mind and instead, they simply continue to chatter incoherent garble that couldn't be distinguished even if the man listened closely.

The man hated this. He traveled along the wall in search of a door, but he was locked in. Surely there was another way. Turning around again to face the crowd, he stood on his tip-toes in an attempt to see over their heads for an alternative route, even resorting to hopping in place in vain. There wasn't a way out, but there was something that caught his eye.

Raising his eyebrows, a surprised expression graced his face as he spotted a blotch of pink amongst the crowd. Without even thinking, his legs propelled him forward and his body maneuvered him through the crowd in hopes of discovering what the speck was. Never before had he been so hopeful in Aleistor's ballroom.

"Excuse me," he said, trying to push his way through, "hey! Hello?"

Admittedly, Alois had no idea what to expect when he spotted the elaborate pink dress with white roses sewn in. As he got closer, he saw that there were roses on a pink top-like hat on top of the woman's head. Peeking out from underneath it, he could see long hair pulled up into a bun. It was a peculiar hue of blueish black, which somehow drew him in even more. As he called out to her, she looked back at him from over her shoulder before turning around altogether.

A pair of sapphire orbs widened in surprise at him as confusion graced her soft features. With long lashes and pale skin with a tinge of blush appearing on her cheeks, matching her attire, the lion found himself unable to say anything once he had her attention. Against his wishes, a small blush of his own appeared on his visage, as he stood with his mouth slightly agape at her appearance. She was beautiful, although he knew he shouldn't think that. He was married, after all.

"U-uhm…" he floundered, trying to figure out what exactly to say. "Are you stuck here, too?"

"You could say that." The woman answered with a small smile, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Her voice was soft and held an odd calming effect. It seemed familiar, but the menace couldn't seem to place it. "Quite the dull party. No one to talk to and no faces to meet."

"Yeah, I noticed that." Awkwardly replied Alois. "I'd like to leave, but I'm afraid I can't find an exit."

"Likewise. They're all locked, and I'm not quite sure how much longer I can stand to be here." The lady in pink replied. "How long ago did you try to open them?"

"Just a moment ago."

"Drat." She huffed. "I suppose we're stuck for the time being. Hopefully, it'll be more pleasant with someone to talk to."

"Maybe, but I don't plan on staying for long." Stated the lion. "I have places to be."

"Ooh, mysteirious, are we? That would certainly explain the blood." Retorted the other, pointing at the man's attire. Glancing down quickly, he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I uh… Ran into some trouble on my way over here." Alois replied with a chuckle.

"It's fine. This world is a bit chaotic, so it's not surprising."

"What about you? Were you wearing that dress when you came here?"

"Hmm?" hummed the woman in pink. "Oh, this? I woke up here like this. I don't know why."

"Makes about as much sense as anything else, here." Grumbled the blonde.

Chuckling, the bluenette shook her head. "So, do you have any idea where 'here' is?"

"I think this place has to do with people's memories." He explained. "There's more than one person in here, so they're all kinda jumbled together. This place is mine, probably. It's my… cousin Aleistor's ballroom." There was hesitation as he addressed the Viscount, but he wasn't quite sure what else to call the man.

"Can you remember another way out?"

"No… I haven't been here in years, and even when I was here, I never really looked around."

"That's unfortunate…" sighed the bluenette. "So what do we do in the meantime?"

"I have no idea…"

Softly, music started to filter into the room, and while Alois didn't notice it right away, he noticed the other "guests" shuffling about, clearing an open area. Confusedly, he looked around, trying to figure out what was happening, but then the music grew louder and he understood. At that point, a few of the faceless guests paired off and began to dance. He wasn't sure what to do with the observation.

"Well, ordinarily in this situation, you'd ask a girl to dance." The woman said. "To take the edge off a bit."

"We should be looking for a way out." Alois scolded as the other took his hand and started dragging him along.

"Oh, come on. It's not like we've found anything so far. We might as well take this opportunity."

"I shouldn't."

"Please?" asked the lady in pink, placing her hands on his shoulders as they stood on the dance floor. The music had picked up now and they stood out even more than they did. "I've never been able to dance like this before. I've been wandering around here for ages, and I'm tired of searching. Just this one dance? We'll go back to looking once it's over."

Alois did his best to conceal his groan at the suggestion, making sure it was only internal. He really didn't want to indulge this strange woman when he should be searching for his spouse. Indeed, she was pretty, but she was not the Watchdog. Regardless, he assumed the starting position, placing his hand on the woman's back and taking the other in his own.

Admittedly, the start was a tad rocky, as he was not accustomed to taking the lead, but he was decent. The woman noticed, chuckling at him. Oddly, he wasn't offended and instead brushed it off as he found his rhythm. Icey blue stared back at sapphire before the blonde was forced to avert his gaze. The woman seemed to see right through him, and the familiarity with which she did it unnerved him.

"I didn't take you for the bashful sort." She mused. "It's a nice surprise. It's not often you meet such a dashing man who's also sensitive."

"I'm not, really." Denied Alois. "There's better."

"Really? I'd say that you're the full package."

"How could you know? You've just met me!"

"Have I?" the woman asked, holding Alois' hand tighter. "There's something familiar about you. You feel it too, don't you?"

Furrowing his brow, Alois looked over her face. Despite how hard he tried to recognise where exactly he knew the woman from, he couldn't seem to place it. She was indeed familiar, and he felt as though he was supposed to know her well. Yet, nothing came to mind.

"I know that you're strong." She continued. "I can tell that just from your clothes. A fighter. You've got a look in your eyes that says that you don't give up no matter what. Yet these big hands of yours are so gentle…"

Blinking, Alois blushed slightly as it registered just how small the woman's hands were in comparison to his. Is this something that Ciel felt often with him? It was nice. Sometimes, he would imagine what it would be like, but it could never compare.

"Do you flatter every man covered in blood you see?" asked the menace, puffing out his chest slightly.

"Funny, too!" grinned his dance partner as she twirled with him. "A good sense of humour with a handsome face is a hard find."

"H-handsome?"

"Indeed. You're a very dashing young man, Jim. Anyone would be lucky to have you."

His name rang in his ears as she said it. It felt sickly sweet, but he didn't dislike it like he knew that he should. Come to think of it, did he ever introduce himself? He must have. Surely the action simply slipped his mind. The curl of her lips and the way she looked at him made him feel a bizarre sense of familiarity with her. There was a twinge of loneliness and longing as well, but he suppressed that to the best of his ability. His wedding band, concealed by black leather gloves, felt as though it were a heavy weight. It wasn't uncomfortable or unpleasant, however. It felt like a friendly reminder of something.

"You flatter me." Replied the Phantomhive. "I'm sure my husband thinks the same thing."

"Oh? You're gay?"

"Bisexual, actually."

"So that means that I still have a chance." The woman chuckled. "Still, it must be odd."

"What do you mean?"

"Who takes care of the other?"

"Both of us." Alois stated flatly. "We take care of each other."

"He must be jealous." Grinned the other. "Being with someone as handsome as you must be a blow to the ego."

"Actually, he tells me I'm beautiful, but I don't think he's jealous."

"'Beautiful'?" she questioned. "That's not right. You have too much of a manly flair for that. Too much fire. 'Handsome' is a better fit. Does he always do that?"

"Do what?" questioned Alois.

"Sell you off short like that and treat you like a woman." The woman clarified. "Doesn't it get old? Certainly you would like to be in charge for once."

"There doesn't need to be anybody in charge." The man said with a blush.

Certainly, it had crossed his mind once or twice that being the big spoon more often would be nice, but he sincerely was happy. He liked holding his spouse delicately, but he was usually the one surrounded by the Watchdog's arms. It was nothing about dominance, but rather about feeling as though he was able to support Ciel.

"Then how can you protect him?" questioned the woman. "You're strong, but he doesn't allow you to help."

"That's in the past."

"Is it? There's no way to be certain. Can you predict the future?"

"Can you?"

"Well, no…" answered the bluenette. Taking her hand out of the others and using it to cup the man's cheek, causing him to raise his brow. His blush darkened as her thumb stroked his skin and his eyes were wide as he stared down at her. The man's heart fluttered a bit at the concerned look she gave him. He had seen it before. He was sure of it!

"Doesn't it bother you that you can't hold him in your arms because he's too big?" she asked. "That you have to stand on your toes to kiss him if he doesn't bend down? For his shoulders to be more broad? For him to be seen as more capable and menacing? Doesn't it hurt your work?"

"I-I don't…" stuttered Alois, unable to look away from those sapphire eyes.

"Don't you wish you were bigger than him sometimes?" she asked, her face closer. "That you could be on top more in your relationship? That you were treated like a husband, and not his wife?"

The woman's face was almost unbearably close. He could smell her perfume, and it felt as though it was drawing him in. His stomach felt uneasy and his heart was racing as if it might burst. At the same time, he couldn't move, even as she drew in. The woman's eyes closed and broke their gaze.

In that moment, his free hand instinctively shot itself upward and his fingertips gently pressed against her lips, causing her eyes to snap open wide. She stood there while staring up at him with shocked confusion written on her face and waited for an explanation. Looking into those two deep blue eyes once more, Alois found that there was something missing.

"Sorry." He said, a cocky grin appearing on his face. "Like I said, I'm happily married, and to be honest, you just don't do it for me."

With that, he let go of the woman and backed away from her, continuing. "A half-baked lady-version of him won't do, no matter how pretty you are. Just what do you take me for? I ain't that kinda lad. I'm outta here, and I'm not taking you with me."

His smile held fast even as the woman's brow furrowed. Her fists clenched and the music stopped. It had come to his attention that for the first time since he had been there, he had been noticed by the other guests. In fact, he had been noticed by all of them, as he was now center stage. Their blank faces directed their attention right at him, causing his grin to waver. Turning his attention back to the woman, he found that her pink dress had faded to grey, and she lost the blueish tiny in her hair. She, like the rest of the room, was now monochrome.

"You should have come quietly when you had the chance." She hissed. "No matter. You'll end up like all of the others, soon enough."

Suddenly, the crowd began to inch closer, stretching their arms out and exposing their palms. Looking around, the menace attempted to find a path for escape. Once he did, he smirked.

"Nah. I think you were right, though. I think I might try the balcony again!" he quipped before leaping into action.

Jumping over the heads of the crowd was no major feat and his foot stomped their craniums and used them as leverage when he began to descend too soon. Evading their grasp, he hurled himself straight for the balcony's glass door, blocking himself with his arms. With a loud crash, it shattered, cutting into the skin of his hands and getting stuck in his suit. A gash appeared on his cheek, causing blood to trickle down, but he was undeterred as he tucked and rolled against the balcony floor. He stayed in constant moving and picked himself up, continuing to run forward without care of what was behind him before leaping over the railing into the unknown. The lion disappeared into the brush below, leaving the guests behind him to peer down after him.

Despite his impressive feat, he hit the ground hard, almost stumbling. He had no idea how high up he was when he jumped, but there weren't many other options at the time. His legs ached as he stood up, but he managed.

After his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was stuck in a bush and had to wrestle his way out. As if the shards of glass and blood splatters weren't enough, the branches of the shrubbery caught his suit and tore his jacket. Today was certainly not his day.

"Fuck…" he grumbled, furrowing his brow. Fortunately, even in his dreams, his wounds healed exceptionally quickly, making things not as bad as they could have been. The aching died quickly as he made his way through the bush, only for it to dawn on him where exactly he was.

The navy and gold banners were a dead giveaway, and familiar buildings welcomed the blonde. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, causing him to smile unconsciously. It was Warwick Academy, the crème de la crème of academia.