A/n: Well, here we are with a oneshot. Sorry I've been dead for so long… But when I came across these beautiful prompts/themes in the Romeo x Juliet fanfiction community on LiveJournal, I couldn't resist coming to life for them. All credit for these Basic Themes goes to them (and yukari_rin).

Disclaimer: I own nothing, in case it wasn't obvious…

Warnings: Contains spoilers for Kuroshitsuji II, cheesiness/sappiness, and two adorable shotas doing naughty things with each other.

Special thanks to Emzy (Thirteen Notes of a Vampire) for beta'ing!

To Have Met Y O U

"I want these gentle hands... and this kind smile... Even though I should not want such a thing." – Zero Kiryuu, Vampire Knight

/ / /

01. Roses

Ciel is fond of sterling silver colored roses.

This fact isn't all too well known; it's not like the Earl of Phantomhive House broadcasts his favorite flower to the world. Not even Elizabeth is entirely aware of it, if at all.

And this is why, when Ciel receives a bouquet of roses—sterling silver ones, no less; his favorite variety—on Valentines' Day, he is incredibly surprised. Who would send them? He is certain it is not Elizabeth, for she already sent him a fancy homemade card and a splendorous amount of chocolates, so he assumes it might be a daughter of a client. He can name several that are quite smitten with him right off the top of his little head, and gulps slightly at the thought of how they would possibly find out such a detail. Perhaps it is merely known from close observation?— Even more frightening.

The young earl watches as Sebastian puts them into a vase, placing them on a corner of his desk so that they are in the sunlight, but still out of the way enough for him to get work done. "By chance, is the sender's name on the card?"

"I am afraid not, young master," Sebastian sighed, looking over the small paper card. "It's only just a standardized Valentines' greeting printed upon it."

Ciel frowned. "I see." He mumbled, taking one out to smell. Such a sweet scent, and untainted. So lovely… "I digress, the sender has fine taste…"

Sebastian nodded, before blinking as a small wood spider crawled from the vase. "Oh my, I do believe an unwelcomed guest joined your gift along its way." He said, crushing the arachnid between his gloved fingers. "I apologize, young master; I should have inspected for pests." Ciel merely would make a sound of agreement, smelling again with his eyes closed. He now felt an odd sense of familiarity…

02. Irises

Alois looks at the tea before him with a sad smile. "Do you think Ciel got the roses yet, Claude?"

"Most likely, he should have." Claude answered, pushing his glasses up his nose as the blonde earl smelled one of the pink roses before him. "I personally ensured their safe arrival to the Phantomhive estate would be on Valentine's Day, as you requested."

"Hm…" Alois mused as he spun the rose between his fingers, smelling it. He wondered if Ciel liked his gift… "Claude, I love irises."

"…"

"They're a lovely flower, you know. Next time you purchase flowers, please buy more of them…"

"Yes, your highness."

"…" Alois' eyes drooped slightly, as he smelled the flower again. "A rose by any other name is still a rose, correct?"

"Sir?"

"If a rose by any other name is still a rose, is it possible that the iris is also still an iris? Or by any other name but the beautiful 'iris', does the iris just become a dirty bulb again, as it was in the beginning?"

Claude eyed him blankly for a moment. No answer would come from the butler, and after a while, Alois sent him off.

The boy hoped that one day, Ciel would send him an iris…

03. Nobles

As Alois holds the dark haired boy to him, resting soundly under the covers, he idly looks out the window.

Ciel is a noble from birth. His pale, delicate body and soft hands are the first tell-tale signs of such a status; he's darkly beautiful, and ever so delicate. Alois idly kisses his head, over that smooth, lovely hair, and frowns. He wonders if he is all that beautiful, truly; he knows he is, many have told him, but he wonders if Ciel sees him as a beautiful person as well. With his rough hands and tainted body, and the secret Ciel knows not of—the secret that the boy beside him is not truly one of those elite fellows—Alois wonders if he can ever really match up to Ciel with his lies and games.

If Alois is so bold, he is like a Capulet; wealthy, but not an aristocrat. Then again, neither would Ciel—his Romeo Montague—be such, if referring to placement, but yet somehow it is hard to envision him as anything but a Lord, which he really is. Alois reaches up to massage his temple, his head beginning to ache slightly from his muddled mass of thoughts.

Ciel mumbles something in his sleep, and curls closer to the blonde, who strokes his hair tenderly. Idly, Alois wonders if he can ever truly be a noble to the core.

04. A knife in the dark

"You won't kill me, Ciel…" Alois mumbled, eying the boy beneath him. He smirked slightly, tossing his sword away. "Just like how I won't kill you."

Ciel's eyes widened slightly.

"You and me, we really are the same, Ciel…" Alois whispered, playing with the dark haired boy's shirt buttons, ignoring the meaningless struggle going on beneath him. "We're truly alike."

He leaned down, kissing Ciel's chest lightly.

"Don't touch me in such a vulgar way!" Ciel gasped, managing a hand free to slap him. Alois didn't react as the earl grabbed his stolen sword, ready to stab—

"You won't." Alois said again. "You won't, because you know exactly what you want, and you know that your revenge is not with me."

05. Under a blue sky

Ciel sits on the blanket, sipping his tea casually. Almost prince-like.

Alois lays in the grass; a little dirt does not bother him.

"I love you, Ciel." He says quietly, eyes focused on the clouds drifting by.

The boy sitting beside him does not reply, and Alois did not expect him to.

06. Amongst the clouds

Where would you have your soul go, if not in the demon's belly or into the depths of Hell?

Alois had to say the sky. He would like to live in clouds for an eternity, with Ciel at his side. If he was so blessed, he'd have Luka as well.

Sadly, neither Alois Trancy nor Jim McCain have ever been one of the blessed. That will never change.

07. Torment

When Alois vanishes from the world inside Ciel's mind, the dark haired boy frowns.

Was Claude so marvelous that Alois would go to him in the end? What about Ciel, who was supposedly his lover, his 'person held most dear'? Did he not even get the time to put together a goodbye for the blonde?

Ciel laid back, frowning now.

This was truly a love never meant to be.

08. Sacrifice

"I know I'm probably going to die in the end. I've made a lot of ill-guided choices during this game. But, I don't regret them at all, Ciel. They were for Luka. They're bringing me to Luka. So don't look down on me, okay? Because in the end, I'll make sure you're never eaten, I swear…"

Ciel does not wake up, Alois' words too soft to disturb him.

09. Chink in the armor

Ciel knows better than to mention Sebastian, or his contract.

Alois knows better than to mention the past.

Both boys know where the wounds lie, and they won't pour salt on them. It makes them feel safe, but also lacking in ease; one could destroy the other at any time, and so it is a very delicate balance of saying and doing the appropriate thing, until the trust of freedom is earned.

10. Baking

"Why must I participate in this?" Ciel deadpans. He is a nobleman, not some chef nor servant nor common person.

Alois makes some pathetic pouting face, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy's neck. "Because, Ciel, I really wanna make a cake with you~"

"…"

"You know, cakes taste better when you make them with friends or lovers~"

"What kind of cheap novel's line is that?"

11. Thimble

Wear a guard 'round your heart, like one wound a thimble on thy finger. Heartbreak is twenty times harsher than any seamstress' most furious needle. Or at least, that's how the saying goes.

It was too late for this, though.

Alois Trancy was trapped by this strange desire, and Ciel Phantomhive was in the same position.

In the end, a forbidden love can be nothing but pain…

12. Daydreams

Alois would often muse about what it would be like to be in love. He'd been "loved" since he was at a young age, trading his "affections" for food or a bed, but that was definitely different. It wasn't the same as being in love, he was absolutely positive.

People in love were kind and gentle with each other. Each touch was tender and soft, not meant to cause pain. Each touch was consented to. Each touch was filled with love…

Thoughts like these filled his mind to the brim sometimes.

All he wanted in life was to know how that felt.

13. False reflection

I don't know who to see in the mirror.

Alois Trancy, or Jim McCain?

I'm not really either anymore.

This reflection is nothing but a lie.

14. The difference between boys and girls

Ciel lets Lizzy caress his cheek innocently, but it's not the same as when Alois does it. He just isn't a fan of his cousin's touch anymore. It's too delicate, and her hand is perfumed with some strange lotion. He doesn't like the smell; it nearly could give him a migraine. But he tolerates it.

Alois had said that the only difference between boys and girls was the way they held each other. If this was true, Ciel preferred boys.

… Wait—!

15. Pricked fingers

"Your Highness?" Claude blinks, looking as the droplet of red liquid fell against the tablecloth.

Alois frowns, looking at his hand. "The rose's thorn…" He mumbles, tilting his head slightly. "It pricked me." The blonde holds his hand out to Claude, watching as the butler begins to clean the small wound with a handkerchief.

"Perhaps the young lord shouldn't have been so careless whilst playing with roses." Claude murmurs, eying the wound in a strangely thoughtful manner. "Whilst they are one of the most beautiful and delicate of flowers, they are rather dangerous to touch, with such thorns…"

Alois ponders this as a bandage is applied.

16. All's fair in love and war

"You know exactly what you want, and you know that your revenge is not with me."

Ciel stared, unsure what to make of that for a moment.

That hesitation became his 'downfall' immediately, as Alois pressed his lips to his.

One way or another, Alois had managed to ensure he wouldn't be hurt this time, as Ciel was frozen stiff.

17. Strategy

"You're lacking focus," Ciel chided, knocking over one of Alois' knights. "You'll never win with such methods, Trancy."

Alois frowned. "It's not my fault you've been playing for so much longer than me, Ciel. No need to poke fun."

"Hmph, Check mate."

"… Ciel, you're so mean!"

18. Play

Ciel watches from the theatre balcony as Romeo and Juliet share that fated, infamous kiss on the balcony of their own, looking through his wee binoculars as he does so. A warmth at his hand reminds him of his company's presence, and longing for attention even during the show.

"Must you hold my hand in public, Earl Trancy? We're too old to pass it off simply, and it looks rather scandalous otherwise."

"We've done far more scandalous things." Alois whispers lowly, pouting. "Besides, I'm boring. This Shakespeare fellow writes bloody long plays."

"It may be long, but it's quite enjoyable all the same." He glares slightly when Alois smirked at his comment. "Earl Trancy, you may leave if you are so bored."

"Just let me hold your hand then, like we're young lovers courting. It makes it all more fun."

"…"

19. Apothecary

The first time Ciel is brought to Alois' room, it's like a French medicine shop he'd visited once. He wonders if it's so heavily perfumed for him, or if the blonde just likes it this way. When he asks, the response is a smile, and something about it being more romantic with incenses.

Ciel didn't expect Alois to be that type. Then again, he didn't expect himself to be the type to go to his enemy's room alone.

Perhaps Alois' room wasn't the only one with the air of a cheap apothecary in the Trancy manor…

20. As one

Alois Trancy keeps talking about becoming one with Ciel Phantomhive. Ciel Phantomhive doesn't know how to take this, especially when the other boy says it with such a devious smirk or while licking Ciel's ear.

21. Duel

Ciel's eyes widen as he stares at the boy above him, contemplating this suggestive—and dangerous—position. He spills out words with a false determination and intent, glaring as if he wasn't that bothered; well, in that sense, at least.

As Alois smirked above, Ciel prays—since when does he, of all people, pray?—that his cheeks are not becoming flushed, or that the other boy could not tell how uncomfortable this position or his long fingers on his shirt and vest buttons made him feel. But for some reason, at the same time, while looking into those blue eyes, it's like a final sin he can't resist… And yet, he does at least attempt to do so, as the blonde kisses his chest in such a vulgar—to him, at least—action. But Alois consoles in some strange way, and Ciel becomes weak as lips trail up his neck, tainting the Phantomhive further as they find their way to the side of his own lips.

It's a duel between Ciel's brain and whatever the source of this tingle in his lower abdomen was.

22. Heart's Desire

"Why do you continue to pursue me, despite how often I insist upon my disinterest?"

"I've told you, haven't I?" Alois murmurs, kissing up the bare arm. So pale and perfect, like that of a porcelain doll… "I want you in a hundred different ways, Ciel. This is just one."

Ciel looks away as the blonde kissed his neck slowly, tenderly, sending a shiver up his spine. Alois only smirks, licking up the neck till he made it to his ear, and licking that as well. He wants to taste Ciel everywhere, a million times, until he's memorized the unique taste of each bit. He trails his lips to the other boy's, and chuckles absently.

As the kiss begins, Ciel wonders what each of those hundred ways of want could be.

23. The root of loneliness

"Don't leave me, Ciel… Never leave me, like Luka, like all those others…"

"Luka?"

"Yes… My little brother, Luka… He's gone, Ciel. Don't you go, too…"

And suddenly, Ciel understood a little more than he did before.

24. Years that pass/Time goes by

It's been over one hundred years. Ciel should be over it by now.

But every time he sees that boy sweeping the sidewalk by the corner store, he feels like he's looking at Jim McCain again.

That's why Ciel can't help but eat his soul, looking into those delicate blue eyes the whole time.

He knows it's cruel; that boy didn't deserve to be ended by force by a demon caught in the past. He didn't ask to look like Alois Trancy, Jim McCain, whatever you wished to call him.

All the same, the boy is devoured, his cheek caressed as Ciel makes a memory.

And then, the demon is gone, regretting little.

25. Tea time

One could truly wonder why Sebastian allowed these forced 'dates'. Surely it wasn't too fun for Ciel to be tied to a chair while the blonde tried to be romantic and feed him their snacks.

"Say 'Ahhhh~', Ciel~" Alois smirked, holding out a spoonful of flan to his not-entirely-willing date. "It's really good, Ciel! Claude's desserts are bloody wonderful!"

"…" Reluctantly, the Phantomhive opened his mouth, letting the spoon slide in and fill his mouth with the custard-like tasting dish. He was silent as he swallowed, before frowning. "Sebastian makes it better."

"You're truly a dull boy, Ciel. Goodness me."

26. Spring cleaning

"Young master, do you really wish to not take the sterling silver roses with you?" Sebastian asks, showing the pressed flowers to the young demon.

"I said that I did not. Why do you keep asking me?"

"They hold such precious memories for the young master, I merely was making sure he would not regret throwing them out."

"…" Ciel frowned, looking at them. "They're just dead flowers from a dead relationship. What good would such things do me now?"

27. Fear of falling

Why are we up here?

Because it's nice up here. We get to watch the game.

What if we fall?

We won't.

If we do, it's so high up… We'd die.

We won't fall off the tower, and your greatness won't, either.

What?

I won't let you fall, Ciel. Never.

… Thank you, I suppose.

28. Red

Ciel can't deny Alois looks good in his red robe, but he wonders how many others have seen him wear it before.

29. Blue

Ciel's eyes are truly beautiful, Alois muses as he looks at the dark haired earl from across the room. He awkwardly fiddles with his costume fangs, feeling a slight pink tint rising to his cheek. He has a weakness for those cold eyes of such pure color.

Ciel's eyes are just so blue, bluer than Alois' even. And oh, Alois wonders if someday, he could become one with that blue.

30. Forever

Ciel is a demon now, and he knows this is a permanent thing. It was Alois'—no, Jim's—wish, and a strange one at that.

Live forever, Ciel, and never be in Sebastian's belly. The revenge may be folly, but I'll still get it.

He wonders how his belated lover could have such faith in this logic, but knows it doesn't matter anymore. Wondering would change absolutely nothing.

The thing Ciel hates about this life the most though, is that even with Sebastian always there, he still feels alone. He knows he shouldn't, but he does. He wonders idly if this is all his fault, but, isn't sure.

It's all a mess.