Dark was the sky over London; the city lights prevented any stars from being seen. But the sky lit up with bursts of colour as fireworks boomed. Alois' eyes sparkled as he looked out from the balcony, elated at the surprise and the end of an already wonderful day. It was his birthday, and the person who made his heart beat fastest had shown him a perfect day. With a big grin, he nuzzled up against his lover, basking in the warmth and comfort of their arms and taking in a familiar scent.

"Happy Birthday, Jim..." said a deep, but soothing voice, being the last thing Alois heard before he woke up.

Icy blue eyes snapped open before squinting at the light pouring into the room from the gap between the curtains. The strip was narrow, but aimed well as it struck the blonde directly in the face. Whining in discomfort, he pulled a cloth over his head, only to have his nose assailed by he same scent from his dream. With that, he took his face out of the cloth and examined it, only to recall that he had slept with a coat.

Since his return to the mansion, Alois had been using it as somewhat of a security blanket. It's familiar scent helped calm him, making it easier to sleep, but alas, it was fading as time moved on. Furthermore, Alois knew now who this coat belonged to along with that wonderful, familiar smell. It was his friend, housemate, and head of the estate he lived in, Sir Ciel Phantomhive.

It was clear that he enjoyed it and was sad that it was fading, but he didn't want to think too extensively as to why. To, him, there was none. There was only "it just is". Even still, there was a part of him deep down that knew better.

He hadn't the time to ponder this, however, as a knock came at the door. Frantically, Alois shoved the coat beneath his blankets so it was out of view. He then laid back down and pretended to just wake up.

"Come in..." he said, inviting the butler in. The door wasn't locked, so it opened with ease, allowing the older demon to slip inside.

"Good morning, master Alois." Sebastian greeted.

"It's Saturday..." the menace insincerely complained.

"My apologies, sir, but I thought you would like to know that the Master is about to leave to go attend to a case."

"So?"

"Well, if you are interested in going with him, you need to get ready quickly."

"I can go?!" questioned Alois, abruptly sitting up. All of his sleepiness vanished as a bright, excitable grin appeared on his face. It had been quite some time since he had been on a mission. He missed it. Admittedly, however, he was a little worried, as he was afraid that he might be out of practise.

"If you catch him before he sneaks away."

"That son of a bitch!" Alois declared, quickly tossing the covers aside and getting up, but carefully enough as to not reveal the coat underneath. He then proceeded to walk toward his cwardrobe. "Thanks, Sebastian."

"Always a pleasure, sir." Sebastian replied with a smile before slipping through the door again and closing it. Thus, he left the blonde alone to his own devices.

"Shiiiiiiittttt..." Alois said to himself as he quickly stumbled about. He picked out one of his worksuits and threw it on the bed before heading into the bathroom. Grabbing babywipes, he began to attempt to clean himself up that way. "No time for a shower… Fuuuuuuccckk… Deodorant… Where is it?"

Soon, he decided that this was the best that he could do. Thus, he fast-walked back into the bedroom, only to realise that he forgot underwear and socks. The small inconvenience caused him to groan before turning around to grab what he needed, taking off his shirt on the way. Once he returned, the man's boxers that he used to sleep in were replaced with briefs. He didn't recall why he felt the need to wear one type in the day and the other at night, but he didn't think it was a strange enough habit to question. Socks went on next, followed by pants, but they stayed at his knees so he could pull them up to tuck the shirt in rather than stuffing the excess fabric through the waist of his trousers.

"Goddammit..." the man muttered as the top button on his shirt proved difficult to unfasten, trapping it on the hanger. This was the least of his problems, however, as a small knock was briefly struck on the door before the person on the other side decided to barge in without waiting for an answer. The door was still unlocked, allowing Ciel inside.

"Hey, Alois, there's been a mur..." the bluenette began only to trail off at the sight of his beau. His deprived self couldn't help but stare for a moment, looking the man up and down. "...der."

"What the fuck, Ciel?!" Alois demanded, pulling the shirt close to him in order to cover himself. The poor blonde's face was crimson as he bent down and grabbed a shoe before throwing it at the door. "Get out!"

"I'm sorry!" hastily apologised the Watchdog after being snapped back to his senses. It was only then that embarrassment was able to sink in. In that instant, he slammed the door shut before retreating into the hallway.

That was embarrassing. With his back pressed against the wall, he covered his mouth and fretted over the situation. Ciel knew that he was probably staring. He would normally, and normally, there was no need for him to knock due to the fact that they were familiar with each other's nudity. This time, however, things were very different. It was no longer acceptable, even if they were both men. That made it even less acceptable to stare! The Watchdog worried over whether or not Alois noticed his eye traveling up and down the man's form, for if he did, that could be a serious problem. He didn't want Alois to suspect anything, as he didn't want to somehow accidentally push him away. Come to think of it, the blonde threw a shoe at him, didn't he? Rubbing his forehead, the bluenette was certain that the blonde hated him now.

He was ashamed at his own actions, underestimating his attraction to Alois. Ordinarily, he would simply be pleased and oogle his spouse for a moment. There was no shame in that, however, he knew full-well that this was no longer appropriate, but thoughtlessly did it anyway. Physically, he missed the menace as well, even if it was simply having the ability to appreciate his physique. Now, everything was "dirty", so he did his best to flush these thoughts and desires from his mind. Perhaps this is what the lesser-demon August was referring to, as her kind is perfectly capable of seeing into the inner desires and longings of her prey and her "master". Ciel had simply assumed that he was above it all and could somehow shut these thoughts off, but as he had just learned, repression only made them stronger when a suggestive situation arose.

After a few minutes, Alois finally came out of the room, fully dressed with his face as red as the other's, and his eyes not looking at Ciel directly. Really, this was an embarrassment. He didn't know why he was embarrassed so, as he had worn swimsuits that show some skin, and they were both men, so he assumed that it shouldn't matter. Alas, it did and he was struggling to justify why. Really, seeing one's vulnerable, naked state without there consent is the real difference. Alois was not expecting Ciel, and wasn't keen on the idea of being seen exposed by him. Then again, had it been Sebastian or Luka, he wouldn't have batted and eyelash, but the concept still stood. The blonde was embarrassed by the idea of being seen by the Watchdog, and when it happened, he reacted accordingly.

"Jesus, don't you know how knocking works?" he complained. "You wait a minute for the person to invite you in. That's common sense!"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." bashfully apologised the other demon, witnessing the menace's cross, yet bashful body language.

"Just don't do it again..." Alois scolded. "Now what do you need that was so important?"

"Oh, I just wanted to tell you that I got a call from Scotland Yard." Ciel replied, changing gears. "Ainsley's body has washed up by the Thames River. We haven't had a case together in a while, so… I wanted to know if you wanted to come along..."

"Well, that's why I was getting dressed. Sebastian woke me up and told me you were gonna leave, so I was getting ready to crash the party."

"Again, I'm sorry..."

"It's not like you can unsee it." the menace sighed in defeat. He was embarrassed, but couldn't find any good in lingering on it. "Whatever… Let's just go..."

Turning, he made his way down the hallway and with a shrug, the other followed. Regardless, both were a bit excited about the possibility of a case with the other. It had certainly been a while. To Alois, it was a "new" experience. Still, it was one that he was looking forward to. As they reached the car, Alois was about to grab the door handle, when he was stopped by the other.

"They don't want you operating heavy machinery yet." Ciel said, causing his partner to groan.

"But I can still use a gun?"

"I know. It's not really sensible, but it's a rule."

"Nobody will know."

"I don't like taking chances." the bluenette stated, walking over to the shelf that housed the motorcycle helmets.

"It shows." Alois replied, tilting his head at the other. "Though I didn't know you drove a motorcycle. You don't seem like the type."

"I'm full of surprises." Ciel said, putting on his helmet and fiddling with the chin strap.

Looking into the reflective face covering, the blonde squinted, only to find that he could read the man just as well as he could when he could see him. "Just what kind of guy are you?"

"One of a kind." the other stated, tossing the other man's helmet over to him. "Put this on."

"Oof!" Alois grunted as he caught it. Pausing, he thought for a moment while the other hopped on the bike. "Wait, I'm riding with you?"

"Yes. On the back."

"Don't you have a sidecar or… uh… somethin'?"

"Is there a problem?"

"I could just take a cab..."

"Get on, you pansy." Ciel interrupted, smiling behind his visor and trying not to chuckle.

"Shut the fuck up." the menace grumbled, his cheeks tinting themselves pink as he put the helmet on and secured it.

"Is that your new favourite phrase?"

Alois opened his mouth to tell the other to "shut up" once more, but closed it as the other pointed to him, expecting him to let it out. Instead, he playfully slapped the bluenette's shoulder as he got on the bike.

"Prick." he accused. No longer was Ciel able to contain his amusement, causing him to let out a laugh. He got quiet once Alois was on the bike and tried to conceal the fact that his heart was beating faster. The proximity was certainly familiar to both of them.

"Hold on tight." Ciel instructed.

"Like… You mean… Onto you?"

"I mean, you can stay here, if you want."

"Fine." Alois huffed before wrapping his arms around the other demon's middle, his chest pressing against the Watchdog's back.

It was an unfortunate position, as his own heartrate quickened as well. Ciel's shoulders were so broad, and the man's coat didn't seem to fit him. It was too small, so it was snug. Come to think of it, this coat might actually belong to the blonde. Alois would have to tell him when they stopped, however, since the vehicle had already started moving. For now, he would simply have to savour the moment, as wrong as his mind led him to believe it was. Deep down, however, there was something there.


A/N: Helloooooooooo~! I'm back.

Summer classes started, and there's actually a lot to do... I still have a lot to do... But I'm treating myself to writing this nonsense.

An entire foreign language course in only one month es muy ridículo.

Anyways, I'll be updating when I can. I have to work on stuff tomorrow, but I'll probably write some, anyway. Sundays are for doing the shit that's due on Monday, after all.

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!