A/N: Been on a real kuro-binge lately, so this was born. Well, I should be more specific and say that this one-shot is based off a little headcanon- thing from the other day in which I said that I think Alois is definitely the type to do things to Ciel just to piss him off.

If they had met under different circumstances, they'd be buds. No one can tell me otherwise.

And with that, please enjoy the fic!

09/10/12- Properly edited for minor misspellings and grammatical errors, as well as a few general alterations. Also, I extended the ending because the first one was poop.

Warnings: Mostly just Alois being a little shit, but that's not really anything new so…yeah. Read on.

Disclaimer: Sushi*Bomb does not own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler and I write solely to entertain.

Scandalous

If there was one thing the noveau riche of London all seemed to have in common nowadays, it was their rather irritating propensity for throwing these ostentatious galas. As if it would help them fall into favor with the more powerful wealth of England. Of course, not everyone shared the same sentiments as Earl Ciel Phantomhive, namely, that these parties were unnecessary in every way imaginable and were really more of a chore (and perhaps even an occupational hazard) than anything else. On the contrary, Lord Banecroft and his lovely new mistress, about twelve years his junior if Ciel's guess was accurate, had made quite a name for themselves among the English nobility for the profligate, high-profile affairs they often hosted at their estate.

And naturally, it was a spectacular turnout for this latest gala as well. Which equated to an even larger headache to nurse when he returned home, as far as Ciel was concerned.

"Good evening, Lord Phantomhive,"A girl said as she walked by, her and her equally dolled-up friend curtsying in respect. Ciel nodded evenly, tipping his hat gallantly in their direction. "Yes, good evening." He said quietly.

The girl waved flirtatiously before quickly scuttling away with her friend, giggling to themselves. Ciel rolled his eyes in ill-disguised disdain before checking his pocket-watch for what had probably been the seventh time since his arrival.

It had only been forty-five minutes. Ciel's lip twitched in annoyance.

It was his rule of thumb to attend these sorts of events for no longer than two hours. It was all just for show anyway, so it made no sense to stick around longer than necessary. Two hours was just long enough to meet and greet with a few strategic guests, chat about inane things, just long enough to be seen by everyone and prove that he had been there before absconding into his personal carriage and returning to the safety of his manor.

But until that self-imposed time limit was up he was stuck there, and unfortunately, boredom had a nasty habit of making time drag on.

It was at this time that Ciel secretly wished that he had brought his bumbling staff along. Moronic lot as they were, at least they'd liven up the place a bit. Sebastian was in attendance as well, naturally, but Ciel knew that Sebastian knew how much Ciel despised social affairs of any sort, hence why his esteemed butler was taking his sweet time fetching a glass of lemonade for him. Sometimes the demon made it so obvious that he liked seeing him squirm, and although Ciel could've easily ordered him to remain at his side the entire night, and even now, order him to return to his side that very instant, frankly, Ciel didn't feel like going through that trouble at the moment.

From Ciel's vantage point, it was impossible to even see his butler through the large throng of people gathered in the large ballroom. It was mostly older guests in attendance; many of the old money families and nobles as well as distinguished citizens of the town, with scattered groups of younger socialites roaming about. Gossiping and carrying on, of course. As if on cue, a group of girls congregating across the room looked pointedly in his direction. The girl from earlier was saying something under her breath, which in turn caused the entire flock of them to erupt into a fit of giggles. Ciel leaned against the wall tiredly, unconsciously tightening his grip on his cane.

This would be a trying hour and fifteen minutes, indeed.

It was then that he noticed a familiar presence standing to his left, leaning on the wall in the exact same pose as him. That they were familiar was not to say that they were welcome, however.

"Frivolous little hags, aren't they?"

Blithe, arrogant, and so irritatingly..."Vulgar." Ciel muttered under his breath. His eye began to twitch rapidly under his eyepatch. "Why the hell are you here?"

The new Head of the Trancy household stood casually to his left, looking every bit as ostentatious as the party itself in his ensemble of deep purples and black. It just made him look more sinister than usual, in Ciel's opinion.

Alois scoffed, the coquettish little smile that normally graced his face morphing into a dark look.

"You always assume the worst about me, don't you? Obviously," Alois began as he set his own cane aside and pulled a small, embellished card from his sleeve, "I was extended an invitation as the head of the Trancy Estate."

Ciel turned to stare at his newest nemesis coldly, blatantly ignoring the decorated paper hanging in his face. "What reason have you given me not to assume anything but the worst about you, Alois Trancy?"

Alois only laughed loudly in response. "Yes, I suppose you're right about that," he said through his cutting laughter. "But if it eases your mind at all, I wasn't aware that you'd be here so…"

Alois leaned in close, lips to Ciel's ear. "…I don't have anything planned for tonight."

Ciel batted his face away with a swat of his gloved hand. "Get away!" He shouted, earning strange looks from a group of men nearby. A couple that happened to be notable contractors that Ciel had dealings with, to be exact. Ciel pinned the taller boy with a scathing glare, which was of course completely disregarded with yet another round of hearty, mocking laughter.

"Relax," Alois said as he calmed down after a moment, "I was just looking for a familiar face is all. These kinds of things are dreadfully boring, don't you think?"

"You're here alone?" Ciel asked. Alois gave him an odd look. "Of course not."

"Then where's your dem- butler?"

Alois didn't miss a beat. "Well, where's yours?" He asked back evenly. Ciel's eyes narrowed.

"He was getting me something to drink. He's been at it for quite some time though." He said, the suspicion in his tone evident. Not that Alois cared to acknowledge it, however. He simply gave Ciel a cryptic little smile as he took up his macabre-looking cane and leaned back against the wall.

He could feel Ciel's glare boring a hole into the side of his face, and that only made the smile on his face grow wider, and show more teeth.

"What? I'm not allowed to stand here and watch these pompous arseholes piss about? I'm just doing exactly what you're doing, after all."

"Don't think that because we both happen to be here that this is some sort of truce or anything." Ciel snapped before making to walk away. A whizzing sound cut through the air and suddenly Ciel felt the horn of the skull adorning the top of Alois' cane pressed against his neck. He looked back to see Alois staring at him, a malicious sort of twinkle in his innocuously blue eyes.

"Now, Ciel," He began as if to make Ciel the butt of his oncoming jest, "I don't recall saying anything about a truce or any shit like that." Alois leaned against the wall facing Ciel, his arms folded haughtily across his chest.

"All I recall saying was that I was looking for a familiar face. I never said it had to be a pleasant one."

Ciel's face was dark with irritation, but he returned to his spot on the wall nonetheless. "Yes well, most people of a sane mind don't choose to loiter about with someone who wishes for nothing but their death."

Alois snorted. "Well, by that logic, can't you say that most people aren't of a sane mind, then? I mean, really."

The blonde shifted closer. "Most of these people wouldn't hesitate to slit each other's throats and piss in the wounds if it benefited them in anyway. Everyone here wants someone else dead, and you, as the Queen's Watchdog," Alois said with a lowered voice, "should know that better than anyone."

The two remained silent for several minutes as the extravagant affair went on, the hired entertainment for the evening was ending one piece and preparing to play another. After a moment, Ciel's lips curled into a contemptuous smirk.

"You can be quite level-headed when you want to be, I'll give you that." He said with a disbelieving chuckle. But at that moment, Alois' attention was elsewhere. Particularly on the group of violinists taking their seats and prepping their respective instruments.

"If you'll give me that," He began, his lips curling impishly, "would you also care to give me the honor of one little dance?"

Ciel sputtered. "D-dance?! With you? Are you-NO!"

Alois' smile grew wider as he advanced towards him. "But Lord Phantomhive, you know it is bad etiquette for a lady to refuse a gentleman's invitation to dance."

Ciel bristled at the blatant jab. "Lady?! Now see here, you pretentious piece of-"

But before he could get another word out, Alois quickly clutched his skinny arm and dragged him away from the wall and towards the center of the ballroom, where numerous couples where already gathered to begin a new waltz.

"Alois Trancy! I demand you release me this instant!"

Alois gave him a mocking look as he turned and walked backwards, still tugging Ciel's arm. "Or what," he began haughtily, "Are you going to hit me with your little cane, which you dropped, by the way."

Ciel began to struggle against the taller boy, his hand pushing weakly against Alois' chest. "Don't you dare mock me!" He snapped as he futilely beat at the laughing blonde. "Sebast-mmph!"

A gloved finger was pressed firmly against his lips. "Oh come on, no need to drag our butlers into this. It's just a bit of harmless banter between enemies, after all." Alois said with a giggle as he unceremoniously yanked Ciel into his arms, their chests crashing together so roughly that the wind was knocked out of Ciel's lungs momentarily.

All around them, people were beginning to gather more heavily; the waltz – the Viennese Waltz to be precise– was beginning. Ciel silently thanked his lucky stars, and more importantly, his butler, for teaching him this specific dance so thoroughly. In the barest hint of optimism Ciel could possibly possess, if Alois was purposely trying to make an ass of him, then at least he would only look like a fool because of that and only that.

It was better to look like a fool for being seen dancing with Alois than to look like a fool for being seen dancing with Alois and not knowing how to waltz properly on top of that.

Ciel sighed in resignation. It was the lesser of two evils, as far as he was concerned.

"Ready? I'll be leading, of course." Alois said arrogantly as he shamelessly draped an arm around Ciel's waist, dropping his hand daintily on Ciel's hip, all the while clutching Ciel's free hand in his own and holding them outward.

Ciel, naturally, was as stiff as an ironing board in his grasp; frustration, contempt, pretty much any negative emotion that immediately came to Alois' mind was etched into the misleadingly cherubic features of the young Earl's face. His eyes were focused exclusively on him, seemingly searching him for something. As to what, Alois didn't know, and certainly didn't care to take a guess.

In reality Ciel was, in that very moment, debating on whether to ask Alois if he even knew how to dance at all.

He wouldn't though, because his wager was already on 'no.'

The music began, light and airy. And just like the music, the couples on the floor began to move as well. Alois lead them slightly to the left, his eyes closed as he followed the music. Inwardly, Ciel sighed. To his credit, Alois Trancy was a great number of things, but a bad dancer was, shockingly enough, not one of them.

Not that that lessened the growing amount of stares in their direction. Ciel tried his best to tune out the whispers coming from the couples around them, and instead forced himself to listen to Alois' quiet humming.

"Where did you learn how to waltz?" Ciel hissed into Alois' ear as they made another twirl, gradually leaving the center of the floor. "I made Claude teach me." Alois said simply. For the second time that night, Ciel sputtered.

"You mean you willingly wanted to learn?"

Alois shrugged. "So what? I didn't know how, so as my servant, it was Claude's duty to teach me."

Despite himself, Ciel cracked a pathetic-looking smile. "Funny, you make your butler teach you, while mine forces me to learn."

Alois snorted before spinning them around quickly. "Yes, I can see that. You're not very good at all."

Ciel leveled him with a withering glare and the noticable tightening of his grip on Alois' shoulder. "You'd do well to recall that this little charade was your idea." He hissed before pointedly looking away from his grinning dance partner.

The waltz continued on in silence between the two after that, Ciel absolutely refusing to look Alois in the face. Though of course, his obvious discomfort was the last thing anyone was paying attention to.

"What are those two boys doing? Dancing so closely like that?" Ciel heard a male voice whisper from somewhere behind him.

"How obscene!" A female voice this time. "Wa-wait, is that… it is. That's Ciel Phantomhive dancing with that blonde boy!"

Ciel stiffened. He was a fairly recognizable face among the English nobility, and yet somehow it still shocked him that people realized it was him so quickly. Part of him was thankful that the waltz was nearly over. If Alois was aware of the not-so-hushed gossip growing around them, he made no direct comment of it.

He did, however, take it upon himself to spin Ciel away from him before pulling him back, the two ending up even closer together than they were before.

"Look how low on his waist that boy's hand is. What degenerates. What would the previous head of the Phantomhives have to say, if he could see his son dancing with another boy like that?"

At that, Ciel's eyes narrowed to near slits. The end just couldn't come soon enough, as far as he was concerned. It was the single remark he had both been expecting and yet not anticipating in the slightest. He finally forced himself to look up and stare Alois in the eye. Alois' eyes were already pinned on him, and apparently had been for quite some time.

"Doesn't it bother you," Ciel began quietly, "that people are calling the two of us obscene, all because of your frivolous theatrics? If you wanted to make an ass out of me, it worked. But you also made yourself a target for gossip as well."

Alois shrugged officiously, a tiny little grin on his face. "But that's exactly it, Ciel." He began as the waltz finally came to an end. The couples around them broke apart and the center of the ballroom soon returned to its prior picture of elegantly dressed nobles and socialities chatting and gossiping.

The people immediately in the vicinity of the pair were still giving them looks; some strange, some curious, some flat-out disgusted, and then a select few – namely the group of girls from earlier who were still gathered in the same place, though now fewer in number after the waltz – were staring directly at them and fanning themselves rapidly, questionable blushes on their faces and necks.

"That's the difference between you and me, Phantomhive," Alois began. "True that I, like you, have been made the target of the ladies' gossip for awhile. Thing is, I don't care what any of these arseholes have to say about me."

Alois leaned in closer so that their faces were inches apart. "But you care just a tad more, don't you? Tell me, Ciel, what would your father say if he were here?"

Ciel bristled. "How dare you…take that back. Now." He demanded as he took a challenging step forward. Alois, still smiling in that irritating manner that was singularly his, took a breezy step back.

"Might want to watch yourself there, Ciel." Alois said whimsically as he adjusted his overcoat, the unmistakable shine of a hidden dagger gleaming from his waist as he did so and making Ciel freeze in his tracks. "I could've killed you at anytime during that waltz, you know. But I didn't."

Ciel scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "And why not?"

Alois yawned into his hand. "Because Claude would be upset if I got blood all over this overcoat. It would take him hours to clean it."

Another obnoxious yawn escaped him. "Well, it's been a pleasure," Alois began tiredly as he rubbed his eye, "but I'm getting rather tired. Claude!" Alois shouted loudly, startling several people nearby. And like a shadow, the demon butler of the Trancy estate appeared at his young master's side.

"Yes, your highness?" He asked calmly. Alois looked up at him boredly before yawning for a third time. "Prepare the carriage. I'm sleepy and I want to go home now."

Claude bowed deeply. "As you wish."

Claude gave Ciel an indiscreet once-over, a decidely wicked gleam reflecting off of his glasses before the dark-haired man departed to do as his master commanded. Ciel watched the man disappear into the crowd before Alois' mocking snickers stole his attention once again.

"You should come to the estate some time Ciel," He began breezily, "I'll have Claude make us some of this rare foreign tea that he procured for me a few weeks ago. I've been waiting for the right guest to try it with."

"Hmmph." Ciel scoffed.

"No? Suit yourself then. By the way, it was a pleasure dancing with you." Alois said as he walked up to Ciel, and, to Ciel's absolute mortification, grabbed his hand and placed a cheeky little peck on it.

It was the final nail in the coffin. All across the room, Ciel could hear the gasps of shock as well as the shrieks of the young socialites reverberating around the room and around inside his skull.

"Well, until next time. Bye!" Alois said with a catty wave and a cocky grin on his face before turning and sauntering off into the throng of socialites after his butler, leaving Ciel standing alone in the middle of the ballroom, silently boiling with rage.

He looked down at the hand Alois had kissed just seconds before. "...The nerve..." Ciel seethed after a moment before walking off with the largest of scowls on his face, unconsciously wiping the back of his hand off on his pant leg.

Filthy bastard.

Next time he and Alois were in the same room together, he would eviscerate him.

It didn't take long to locate his own butler. Sebastian was standing patiently in the exact spot that Ciel had been hoping to occupy for the remainder of his evening, a cup of punch in one hand, Ciel's forgotten cane in the other, and an irritating smile on his face.

"And where were you this entire time?" Ciel snapped as soon as he was within earshot. Sebastian offered him the glass, which Ciel took without a second thought.

"I was…distracted for a moment. Please forgive me, my Lord." He said in that indirectly smug way of his as he watched Ciel down the entire glass in one go before accepting the empty cup back quietly.

Ciel could see in his butler's glaring red eyes and cool expression that he wanted to comment. It wasn't like he could just assume that Sebastian hadn't seen the entire fiasco from wherever he was previously, after all. If anything, he'd be one of two individuals there that had most definitely been aware of the rather scandalous little waltz between he and Alois.

Ciel's lips curled downward. For his sake, Ciel thought, He'd better not say a word about it. Not one damned word.

"Sebastian, come. We will take our leave. Now." Ciel said as he all but stomped into the quickly dispersing crowd, towards the exit. Sebastian followed quietly, at a more sedated pace. They were outside in the chilly winter air not but a few minutes later, heading towards their waiting carriage.

Sebastian smiled to himself. It seemed his young master was in such a state that he failed to notice that he had actually walked clear across the lot of the Banecroft manor to where all of the carriages were parked and waiting. Ciel wasn't normally one for anything physically tedious, after all.

The two climbed into the carriage, Sebastian holding the door open for his young master patiently before entering and closing the door behind him. They were down the road and heading towards the estate just a few minutes later, the inside of the carriage dark and silent. Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose. As he predicted, a nasty headache was beginning to throb in his temple.

"That was quite a show, young master. Will there be an encore?" Sebastian began blithely.

A gloved hand shot up, deftly catching the end of the cane aimed directly for his head. Ciel was still glaring out the window, though he turned his icy stare to his butler only for a second before looking back. Who had he been to assume that Sebastian wouldn't comment, really. In retrospect, he should've most definitely expected his butler's sarcasm.

"Shut up, Sebastian."

"Yes, my Lord."

Ciel's frown deepened. "That Alois, he is truly despicable."

"Indeed he is."

"Uncouth, vile… Sebastian, I expect you to burn my attire for this evening. I never want to see it again."

"Yes, as you wish, my Lord."

It was no different than most of their conversations, but despite that, Sebastian couldn't seem to keep the knowing little smirk off of his face. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone made of a fool of Ciel Phantomhive.

The Phantomhive Estate came into view some time later, and by then, it was obvious that his master was well past half-asleep. Sebastian predicted a trying morning ahead of him if he dared to wake Ciel before noon, and thus, out of courtesy to the both of them, he decided it would be best to clear Ciel's schedule for the next day.

"Sebastian." Ciel began, tiredly twirling his ring around his thumb.

"Yes?"

"Expect to be performing a considerable amout of damage control over the next week or so. I won't have Alois Trancy's little stunt besmirching the name of Phantomhive."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Also," Ciel said before pausing to yawn.

"Yes?"

"If at any point should we receive an invitation to the Trancy Estate for tea, accept immediately."

Sebastian chuckled to himself. "It seems that yet another gauntlet has been thrown, my Lord."

Despite himself, Ciel smirked in agreement. "Yes Sebastian, I do believe it has."

Next time he saw Alois, he would eviscerate him. Eviscerate him, and watch with sadistic pleasure as he tried to keep his shitty little intestines from spilling out onto the floor. That was the price Ciel required in return for the several hundred explanations he would be giving to his benefactors over the next month or so. Scandals like this didn't blow over as quickly as he liked. Gossip and scandal were yet another occupational hazard, and one he cared to deal with even less than the affairs that bred them in the first place. Just the thought of it made his headache worse.

No, simply gutting Alois would be too lenient. He may or may not go into shock, but there was still a chance he could live.

As they pulled up to the mansion, Ciel suddenly remembered a conversation about Chinese torture methods he had had one day over a game of Mahjong with Lau; particularly one very interesting portion where Lau explained, in gory detail, about a specific brand of torture in which a person was literally hacked to pieces little by little.

"We've arrived, Master." Sebastian said as he made to open the door and let Ciel out. Ciel was thinking quite deeply at that moment, and of what Sebastian had to wonder, because...

...Well, Ciel only smiled that cheerfully when he was plotting someone's downfall.

Sebastian shook his head, laughing quietly as he got out of the carriage.

In all likelihood, he thought as Ciel stepped out of the carriage and walked past him silently, still smiling that rather sinister-looking smile, that his young master was probably trying to figure out how many ways he could brutally murder Alois and still manage to get away with it.

Well, how did I do?

I always get really anxious when I write for a new fandom, so if you enjoyed it, a review would be swell. Let me know if I did them justice!

-S*B