What is this I don't even- *shot*
Ayhem. So this, peice of... Fluff(?) was inspired by a GrellxWilliam AMV by VivianKirby on Youtube.
Title, of course, came from Never Shout Never's 'Trampoline'. Good song. Very fitting for William and Grell's relationship. Go listen to it.
But besides that, I really have no idea what compelled me to write this. Perhaps I just needed to get rid of some excess fluff? Merp.
This doesn't really have a time setting, but you could think it's after the Tale of Will the Shinigami OVA. But that's only because Will wasn't fighting off Grell advances instantaneously. Seriously, who else noticed that he'd just stand there a while with Grell poke-rubbing his chest and he was just taking it? Of course, the whole reason he shrugged him off was becuase he was like, 'Alright, the recruits think I have a thing for you. Relationships in the workplace are unprofessional.' Anywho. Yeah. He just takes it some here, too, so that's how the time setting comes about. Though, at the same time, I don't give two shits about time setting, so just... Figure it out.
Also, I don't really care that shinigami can heal in a flash. I don't really care that Grell is the second strongest character in Kuroshitsuji. If I say that Grell still has scars from his and Seb's fight, then he does. :|
The third chapter + lemon of Sick is coming, but like, needed to get this shit/fluff outta the way.
Disclaimer: If I owned Kurshitsuji, you all know this would be canon. Not like it isn't alllllrea~dy, but... x'3
Enjoy...? C':
"Hey, William." Blow. "What do you think." File. "It feels like." Ooh, that'll need a recoat. "To be in love?" There, done.
Grell held his right hand up, marvelling at his handiwork. The red glinted in the light, and every nail was exactly the same shape and varied in size to suit each digit.
"Hmm? What was that, Sutcliff? You'll be leaving now to go and finish your paperwork?"
"Wi~ll," Grell pouted, splaying his fingers on the oak desk in front of him and leaning back in his chair. "I'm serious. Have you ever been in love?"
The stoic reaper sighed. Obviously, he was going to get less paperwork than normal done. "Of course I have. Or at least, felt someting akin to the emotion. I wholly doubt that there is a being in this universe that has not experienced it. Why, of all people, do you ask?" He cast Grell a sideways glance. He was pouting, eyebrows furrowing a little as his fingers traced a pattern on the back of his hand. He seemed to ignore William's question, and asked another of his own. "Who?"
William didn't miss the dissapointment the question was laced with, nor the way the red head kept his eyes downcast. "I never confirmed that was in love with a person - I have just felt the emotion. More or less. Anyway, it is unimportant, and I see no need to delve into it."
"Ahh, oh well. I was interested in hearing about Will's first love~ What a shame!" With that, Grell flopped to the right, pressing his head against William's chest. He felt his head go light from the contact, felt the faint beating of the other reaper's heart as it sped up, and smiled despite the arms of his and William's chairs digging into his side and the pain they caused.
"G-Grell, what are you doing? Get me- Get off me." William dropped the quill from between his thumb and index finger, using his right hand to try and push the red reaper's head away. His left arm was trapped under the reaper's back. He went to push at Grell's neck, but instead of having the desired effect of removing the effeminate man, it just caused him to push his head onto his shoulder and giggle, locking William's hand in place.
"Ahh, Wil~li~am~ Don't tickle me! That's cheating." He slid down further, head falling on the other arm rest, and twisted his torso so that it was parallel to the dark haired man's lap. The red head's right arm snaked between William's left and his body that it was tightly pressed to, forearm running across his back and fingers wrapping around his waist.
William rolled his chair back a little in order to accommodate more room for Grell, so that he wouldn't bump the side of his head on the edge of the desk. He wiggled the fingers in his right hand, which sent Grell into a fit of giggles, and sighed. "Honestly, Sutcliff. What are you playing at? I have work to do and little time in which to do it, if I am to avoid overtime. And would you please stop doing that." The red head purred, nuzzling the back of his head into his boss' abdomen, and William couldn't help but notice just how close Grell's head and the manicured hand that was resting on his thigh were to his crotch.
"You never answered my question. Who was she? Was she pretty? Obviously she was, if she was fortunate enough to have your heart."
"Firstly, you never answered my question - why are you asking, so suddenly? Secondly, I told you there wasn't necessarily a person- What are you...? Stop that!" The fingers on Grell's hand around William's waist had slipped underneath the suit jacket and begun to slowly untuck the pristine white button up from his trousers and had bared around an inch of skin. William quickly pulled his arm from between himself and Grell and hooked it under his waist, hefting the man off of him and pushing him back into his own seat (although technically, it was William's). In a flash his right hand was out of contact with the red head's neck and in contact with the quill, but he couldn't help the glance he shot the effeminate man's way nor the slight regret that pooled in his stomach as he watched the reaper scrunch up his face and cringe a little. He should have been gentler.
Although it was over two months since the Jack the Ripper incident, Grell still had bruises and welts covering his back, as well as the rest of his body. After all, it was not everyday that a reaper encounted a demon quite like Sebastian Michaelis.
The image of Grell sitting half naked, torso covered in black and blue bruises and in tears sitting in his office had not left his memory since the day it had actually happened. He remembered every minute detail, every nervous glance the red head had thrown his way. Three knocks, following in quick procession of each other had sounded from the wooden door, and before William could confirm entrance it was pushed open and locked once the reaper had entered. There was something wrong. William could tell because Grell never knocked; he barged in. Grell never shut and locked the door after himself; he wanted the entire branch to know of his 'relationship' with his stoic superior. Wordlessly, the uncharacteristically silent reaper placed a small, white bag onto William's desk, sat down in the chair opposite him and began disrobing.
Panic rose in his throat before the usually calm reaper scolded himself. He watched as Grell shrugged out of his coat and let it fall the floor - undo his vest, bow and the clasps around his biceps and drop them in a heap, too. An urge to straighten everything out came over William, but he ignored it and decided to speak as he obsevered the red reaper fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.
"Sutcl- Grell, what are you doing? If you continue I will report you for indecent exposure and-" His eyes widened. Pulling his hair over his shoulder and crossing his arms on the desk, Grell let his forehead rest on his arms and small sobs rack his body.
"H-Help me. P-Please, William. I need... I wouldn't as-ask if it wasn't import...tant." From what William could see, he wasn't overly sure if he wanted to help. There was not one part of Grell's back that was not some shade of blue. Where his ribs were, lumps of varying sizes protruded, a welt the size and shape of a boot heel was printed into his skin. And William hadn't even left his seat.
"Please... Please. You know if I could do it myself, I would, bu-but my arms are too sore s-s-so I can't reach around properly without tearing s-some mus-scle that hasn't completely healed." A strangled noise escaped his throat. "I can't even sleep at night, I'm hurting so much. It doesn't matter how I lie. Moving my arm will use my shoulder, which moves my back, and then it's like a minefield and everything aches all at once." He sniffed. "I tried, waiting to heal automatically... But it's been over a week. A week. I haven't been sleeping well and so I can't really do my paperwork - not that I do anyway, but - and that'll probably annoy you, and I've already burdened you enough lately..." Grell pulled the chair closer to the desk using his legs, face down still on his arms. "S-So I went to the infirmary and the nurses gave me this ointment, told me to apply it to all the sore spots once a day and a week after I felt better. William I promise... I promise I'll do my paperwork for a monthand not pester you if you help me... It hurts... So much..."
The last part was barely a whisper and William had to strain to hear it. Half of him wanted to tell the reaper to get out, that it served him right for taunting that demon, that it was a lesson, and to give him another hit for good measure, but his kind side quickly defeated his sadistic and he stood up, walking over to the crying reaper and taking the tube of ointment from its bag. He removed his gloves and squeezed a little of the cool, thick and sticky oil into his palm and rubbed it over his hands to warm it up before slowly massaging it into his colleague's back. He tried to drown out the sounds of Grell's pained whimpers, tried to avert his eyes from the mass of black, bumpy skin he was meant to be soothing. He tried, but...
"I do hope that you'll learn from this not to go near a demon again. It does not matter how strong you think you are, or how masochistic. If you want to feel pain, I can assign you Library duties and you can strain your muscles all day long carrying cinematic records around. If you want to flaunt your strength, I think I would be able to get you into a training course to being a combat teacher at the Academy, though, I can't promise anything, what with your record. Honestly, Grell... What were you hoping to achieve by engaging in a fight with that scum?"
Grell shrugged, and he jolted as he caused William's fingers to press into his shoulders a little, which in turn caused another shudder and more tears to spill from his eyes. He knew what he was trying to achieve, oh, he knew - to make William jealous. To have William come to his rescue, save him, protect him. To have William see him fraternizing with an attractive man, to have that attractive man see that he was cared for. Attention. It was all he wanted. And as he sat bent onto a table, exposed, Grell mused that perhaps his efforts had borne fruit. After all, William was now giving him attention, caring for him, though if anyone had seen the display, William would simply explain that as the department's boss it was his duty to make sure all of his workers were not temporarily physically impaired, he reasoned. It wasn't as if he cared for the red head in anyway, shape or form...
From then on lasting till the end of that week Grell had quietly entered William's office during his lunch break, peeled off his shirt and slumped over the desk as William applied the lotion. Most days nothing was said, an understanding silence, like one at a funeral, coming over the room save for Grell's mumbles and whimpers. He'd leave, muttering a thank you, only to return the office before he left for home to hand in any paperwork he needed William to look over. Eventually though, the work amount slowly decreased, and the red head started spending his days in William's office instead of in his own, a lot like he was now...
"... Sorry. I did not think about the injuries on your back. I didn't intend to push you so hard as to hurt you."
"Oh, but Will~iam, you know how much I love it when you push me... Hard. It's not just my shoves I like being hard, or my men, but more my men's-"
"That'll be enough, Sutcliff. I fail to see how you lounging in my office is productive. If you wish to laze, please do so somewhere else, for I have work to complete."
"It's all about work with you, Will. I suppose though, that is what makes you so desirable~ Ah, what an amazing lover you would be... If only I could have you in my bed~ You know, I sort of feel jealous of this past love of yours. She better have been fairer than I, otherwise I'll be offended. I mean, how can any man look at me and be not overwhlemed by my beauty? I do spend so much time on myself and..." Anything Grell had said after that, William did not process, that one statement replaying in his mind.
'I suppose though, that is what makes you so desirable...' The usually collected reaper stared at the sheet of paper in front of him. Had Grell really meant that? Surely not... This exterior, this shell he had so very well perfected over his life as a Death God was to keep people away, to keep anyone from falling in love with him. People liked romancing, liked being cared for... Neither of which he could offer. Straight away, at least. It would take him months, years, maybe, to be able to warm up to someone, trust someone... As if someone would be interested in a man whose stare could burn a hole right through them, and whose smile was rare and simply a twitch at the corners of his mouth. William found it hard to believe that he was 'desirable' as his effeminate colleague had put it.
"He."
"Hah?"
"He. You keep using the pronoun she, for this past love of mine, who should inform you I was never in a relationship with. And never will be. Office relationships are very unproffesional... Is something the matter?" As William trailed off, he glanced up at the red head next to him. His eyes were staring intently at the ground, but a small smile graced his beautiful face. Wait, no, no. His face was not beautiful. He was not beautiful. No, not at all.
Hammering into his mind that his colleague was not in any way beautiful, the stoic reaper stared at his desk, a little voice at the back of his head warning him that he had said too much. Expecting some sort of innuendo, he was surprised to feel soft lips on his cheek, fingertips pressed to his chin. "Gr-Grell! What-"
"Ahh, I think I'll take your advice and lounge in my cubicle~ See, I can't fantasize about you contently here as no doubt you'll hit me over the head for doing so. Unless you plan to rub it better afterwards..." Grell giggled. "I'll see you later, Wil~li~am~"
A blush peppered over the division leader's cheeks, and he had trouble keeping himself from running his fingers over the small, wet mark that served the only evidence of Grell's presence. He had even moved his chair back to its correct place in the room as he left, and taken his nail-file and incomplete paper work he had brought to William in need of his help, even though it lay forgotten on the table the entire time red head was there. His office was just as it was before the flamboyant man had graced it with his being there.
If only his heart was in a similar state.