"More beer, sir?" you asked your blond-haired regular, Baldroy.

"Nah, I shouldn't, F/N. Sebastian'll hit me," he replied, getting up from his stool, and you smiled.

"Stay safe then," you called over the din of the noisy bar, and he waved at you over his shoulder. You and Bard had known each other for a while because of his tendency to want a drink after work, of which you had heard a lot about during the lonely nights when customers were scarce.

Bard was the chef of a prestigious family, at first boasting that the family was lucky to have him, but when he got toasted, he started talking about how he always tried to rush things and messed up so many times that he was surprised he hadn't been fired. Apparently, the perfect butler, Sebastian, was capable of fixing his mistakes but incapable of tolerating them.

Not only that, but you'd also caught Bard randomly glancing around as if expecting an attack, making you increasingly worried about him. In fact, today, you were even more worried about him than usual; Bard seemed to only get tenser with each drink he had, almost like there was a huge weight hanging above his head.

Sighing as you continued to serve the other patients in your debatably cheery manner, you decided you should pay Baldroy a visit, if only to make sure he was alright.

<><><>

"Wow, such a big manor," you breathed as you stared at the Phantomhive estate. You were just about to knock on the large doors when a strawberry-blond boy ran up to you.

"Oh, a guest! My name is Finnian!" Though startled by the youth's energy, you chuckled.

"So you're Finny; Baldroy has told me a lot of good things about you."

"Bard did?" Finny asked, seeming to think it was odd. "Are you here to see him, then?" You nodded.

"I was a bit worried about him. I can leave if it's too much trouble..." you trailed off as the boy's eyes filled with tears.

"Bard's so lucky to have a person like you worrying about him!" he cried. "Come on, I'll take you straight to him!!"

<><><>

"F/N? What are you doing here?" Bard questioned, shocked, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. You smiled shyly.

"Well, you took time off of work to visit me when I was sick, so the least I can do is return the favor, right? I was worried about you. Num-ber One Pat-ron." Bard simply shook his head at you, smiling slightly.

"You just don't wanna be in my debt, huh?"

"If you have time to talk then you have time to work," a stern voice interjected, and you saw an intimidating, red-eyed man stride into the room. This could only be Sebastian, the young master's butler. "And I see an unfamiliar face. Who would like to explain to me why there is a stranger in the kitchens?"

"My name is F/N, Sebastian. I came here because I was concerned about Baldroy," you answered bravely, feeling a brief sense of achievement before his piercing eyes bored into your E/C orbs.

"Is that so?" he asked. "How did you know my name?"

"All butlers are called Sebastian," you joked, but it didn't make the butler even smile.

"Really?"

"Agh! Sebastian, will ya stop badgerin' F/N? I told her who you were at the bar, alright? She's just a friend of mine." Just a friend? The thought made you strangely sad.

"Hm?" Sebastian thought to himself, giving you a quick glance. "Interesting," he commented absently. As you stared at the person described to you as a superman, chills traveled the length of your spine, as if he was mentally weighing how valuable you were.

"Hey, Sebastian!" Bard protested, blocking you from view. "I said she was my friend."

"Very well. But just because you have a guest doesn't mean you get to relax. The young master has an important guest arriving in a few hours, so don't keep him waiting. And do not—do not—use your flamethrower." With that, Sebastian left you and Bard alone in the kitchen.

"He seems like a hardass," you commented. "No flamethrower? Come on!" You poked Bard lightly, and he relaxed slightly.

"What am I going to do with you, F/N?" he questioned, shaking his head slightly as he made his way over to his cooking space. You sat on a stool, watching him, noticing the same tenseness.

"Why are you so toughened up, Bard?" you asked, poking his arm.

"I'm not," he refuted, becoming tenser as he peeled carrots.

"Yes, you are," you argued.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No I'm not! Really, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! You really are!" This banter continued for a solid five minutes until Bard finally gave in.

"Fine, you win, F/N. I'm..." His face suddenly lit up in a blush, making you curiously tilt your head. "Do you remember last week, what you said to me?"

"Mmm... Nope!" Bard cracked a grin.

"I didn't think you would," he said, proceeding to get something from under the counter, which appeared to be a grenade.

"What are you doing, Bard?" you inquired as he was about to remove the pin from the grenade. He looked at what was in his hand and nervously rubbed his head, sheepishly smiling.

"Old habits die hard I guess," he muttered, placing the grenade back under the table.

"Cooking doesn't require actual firepower!" you cackled.

"Yeah, don't get me started on how many times Sebastian tried to hammer that into my thick skull," Bard replied with a chuckle. "All you have to do is try your very best, and I'm sure you'll be just fine, huh?"

"Is that what I said?" you asked, raising an eyebrow at Bard, but it seemed the rest of his attention had gone into creating food. What had you said last week?

<><><>

"Oh, Bard, that's wonderful! She's so pretty, yes she is!" Mey-rin spoke to Bard after he had mentioned that you were his friend. "I'll make you some tea!" The bespectacled maid then bustled away to heat a kettle, leaving you slightly nervous as she put a large pot filled with water. "That's strange; when did the kettle have two handles?"

"I'll handle it," Bard muttered to you as you made to help her.

"Oh, yes, how long are you planning to stay, F/N? A couple hours, just a few minutes?" Mey-rin asked you curiously as she fished out (with Bard's guidance) a box of tea leaves.

"As long as it takes," you replied with a smile, giving Bard a look, not that he was paying attention.

"Hmm, I guess you'll need a room then... I'll go ask Mr. Sebastian!" Mey-rin suddenly ran off, leaving her tea preparations behind to let Bard do all the work after all.

<><><>

In the end, you discovered you would be sharing a room with Mey-rin because Sebastian was, to put it as Mey-rin had, not in the best mood. (Though Bard had come up with something far more colorful that had unfortunately been heard by the party in question)

"Hey, F/N," Mey-rin asked, squeezing her pillow. "Do you like Bard?" You chuckled.

"I guess. He does almost unfailingly give me a tip."

"W-W-W-What?!" Mey-rin asked, her face turning red.

"Geez, Mey-rin, where is your mind at? I'm talking about his unfailing dedication as a patron at the bar I work at," you said with a laugh. Mey-rin shoved her face into the pillow.

"Aaaah, I'm sooo embarrassed, I am," she squealed into the cloth, making you laugh some more.

"Is that what you imagine with Mr. So-full-of-himself?" Mey-rin's ears glowed.

"N-N-No, nothing like that, I swear!"

"G'night, Mey-rin," you spoke, still laughing.

"G-Goodnight, F/N..."

"And may you have we—"

"Nononono, stooop!"

"—lcome dreams. Alright, I'll stop." You went to sleep smiling as Mey-rin hid her face from you again.

"Buy me a drink?" you asked, winking at Baldroy as you poured him another pint. He raised an eyebrow at you but nevertheless decided to buy you one. "Say, Bard," you began as you sipped your A/C. "Why do you always come here, even when there's no one around?" Bard softly laughed.

"I don't come when you're not here," he said softly, making you tilt your head.

"Oh? And why is that?" you questioned with a mischievous smile as you leaned your head on your hand. Bard coughed slightly before he replied.

"I... I... Hang on, get me another glass." Chuckling as you did so, you refilled his glass. He chugged it like it was nothing and continued speaking. "I've loved you since I set my eyes on you, F/N. But I didn't want to say anything..." You blushed and then laughed.

"Hey, buy me another drink; I'm parched." Almost mechanically, Bard did as you asked, and you, like Bard, downed the glass rather quickly. "You know Bard," you mumbled, feeling hiccups start to bubble up. "You make me think you're an army man, like you've been through a lot." The hiccups started, and you could feel heat rushing to your face. "Damn, I think I'm drunk already. Welp, here goes nothing." You hiccuped. "I like handsome army men like you. Heck, I love them. Always fighting to defend us poor, defenseless souls, risking life and limb."

"What are you getting at, F/N?" Bard asked, letting his head rest on the counter.

"I love you too..." you trailed off, suddenly feeling like taking a nap. You later did exactly this as you collapsed onto the floor, sound asleep.

<><><>

"Bard!" you called, running into the kitchen, where Bard and Sebastian seemed to be having a staring contest.

"Another bothersome appearance," Sebastian grumbled, putting a hand to his head. You ignored Sebastian and turned to Bard, smiling.

"Hey, Bard, I remember what I said last week," you almost squealed like a little girl.

"I doubt it; you were pretty drunk," he mumbled.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to prove it to you," you said with an even wider grin, quickly kissing him on the lips. "Believe me now?"

"No," Bard replied kissing you instead.

"Good grief, now I have to work doubly hard to make him focus," Sebastian muttered, walking out of the room as a far-off bell rang.