A/N: Hey! I am back with the Sequel to Problematic! I'd like to thank everyone who initially reviewed that story; without you guys I'd likely have never finished it, and it feels good to know that I'm writing a sequel for something I didn't have much faith in at the start!
To all old readers; welcome back! To any new readers; this particular story is going to be in canon with the Kuroshitsuji main plot, however the prequel, Problematic, was an AU version of the Shinigami Academy. You may not understand the first few chapters of this if you don't read the last few chapters of Problematic at the least; however you might get away with it if you pick apart everything they say in this xD
A final note; I'm just about to start my Exam Season, where I'm sitting seven final exams. Up until the 23rd June, updates will be slower than they were for Problematic (Maybe one or two a week), but once all my exams are over on 23rd June I'll be nothing but a 16 year old with no school that needs attending and your updates will be much quicker!
Anywho, along to the very first chapter of the new story! It starts directly where the last one ended; 17th April, 1879.
William T Spears was very rarely surprised. A hundred years of being a fully qualified Shinigami made it so that he had seen almost everything the strange realm had to offer. Everything had started in his Academy days, when the days were full of a vibrant redhead that had grown close to him; too close for his liking. It had escalated into a fully blossomed relationship, making the matters of his personal feelings something William hadn't been able to keep on top of; it had made leaving the Academy one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. The redhead had left for the Greek branch, and he to the North England Branch. William had transferred to London soon enough and, despite the occasional thought of the redhead, had become so engrossed in his work and gaining his position as Head of Department that he had completely forgotten to keep in touch.
Meeting Grell Sutcliff again had never been on his list of things to do. William had changed too much from his Academy days; letting anyone see more of him than the usual calm and uncaring mask he had perfected was out of the question.
Granted, that had been before he'd found himself in his current predicament.
Walking through the London building with Grell trailing quietly behind him was, to be frank, bizarre. After a hundred years of no contact, what was the first thing he was supposed to say to a man with whom he'd had the most intimate of relationships with?
"This is, obviously, your new department." Apparently, an apology wasn't it. Grell merely gave a 'hmm' as a response, eyes looking around the department and taking in the neat, orderly and almost cramped desks. Typewriters sat on each desk, and at the moment only one more desk was free without any owner.
It happened to be the one near Ronald Knox.
Knowing that he'd likely regret it by the end of the day, he led the redhead over to the empty desk, making the occupant of the adjacent desk look up with a lazy smile on his face.
"Knox, meet your new neighbour, Grell Sutcliff. I'll entrust you the task of taking over the tour of the building for me; I have too much of your unfinished paperwork to check through."
"What?" William's brow raised as the two Shinigami before him both protested, one with a dramatically upset look on his face and the other with a look of confusion.
"You both heard me quite well."
"You're not even going to guide little old me around a building?" Grell asked, arms crossing over his chest. Ronald took a glance sideways at him.
"No." William's tone signalled the end of the conversation, but Grell wouldn't give up.
"And that's how you greet old friends?" At that, Ronald's interest piqued.
"You two know each other?" The blond asked, eyes alight with curiosity. Grell scoffed.
"Oh I more than just know him." Grell's voice was suggestive, hand on hip as he gave the young blond a shark toothed grin. Before he could respond, however, William spoke again.
"That topic is not up for discussion. Knox, give him a tour of the building and your paperwork will be distributed among the other reapers." At those words, Ronald quickly stepped up, pulling his suit jacket off the back of his chair as he did so and shrugging it on.
"This way, Mr Grell!"
Under any other circumstances, William would be highly annoyed if the London Branch had sent the belongings of a transfer he wasn't familiar with to his home. As it were, it was simply awkward and very quiet to William as he unlocked the door to his home, with Grell Sutcliff babbling on behind him.
"I mean, he's okay, but he's so quiet!" William ignored the redhead's complaints about one of his workers, pushing through the doorway and pulling a box of matches from one of the shelves in the corridor. The sound of the match striking the wall filled the room before the flame lit up the dark area. Candles were lit, Grell looking around the house as discreetly as he could as William led the way down the hallway. Grell kept close to his heels, not allowing himself to be enveloped in the darkness that took over whenever William moved forwards with the candelabrum.
The hallway opened out at the end to a large kitchen, units against the back wall with a large dining table in the centre of the room. The house, having originally been fitted out for two Shinigami, had only been accommodating one for the past hundred years, and with that Shinigami being William, the entire kitchen was spotless. To the left of the units were double folding doors, which William opened silently as Grell looked through the kitchen. Even with the two of them inside the kitchen, the room seemed empty; Grell frowned at the thought of how many days the man must have spent alone in this house.
Following William through the folding doors, he was led into a very large living space, with two settees, a coffee table and two full bookcases. Most of the books had gathered dust, with only the ones on the top shelf of the bookcase looking like they'd been read recently. On opposite sides of the room were two more sets of folding doors, one with a key in the handle, and other with a key hanging on a hook next to the wall.
"The door to the left leads to your room. Your cases and belongings should be in there already. The bathroom is up the staircase next to the door to the home; you won't have seen it in the darkness, but you should find it." William spoke stiffly, handing the redhead the candelabrum. Their fingers brushed, a jolt of electricity passing through their skin. Grell gave a noise of surprise; William simply ignored it.
"Don't I get to spend the night in your room?" Grell asked, giving a giggle as he twirled his long hair around his finger. William raised an eyebrow.
"No." Then, a sigh. "This is, as you should know, your home from now on. I'm not sure why you transferred here, but know this; we aren't what we used to be -whatever it was- nor will we ever become that again." With that, William stepped back out of the light. His eyes didn't leave Grell's, sending a shiver down the latter's spine as he steadily held the candelabrum.
Grell heard William open the door on the right side of the room, and turning around he cautiously made his way through the living area, trying his hardest to make sure he didn't bump into the black settees that William had. He found the key to his room hanging on the hook next to the door, and he wondered if the room would be as dusty and dead as the bookcases.
The room, he found once he'd stepped through the door and lit the candles, was simply a standard bedroom. A double bed stood in the corner of the room, dark wooden flooring didn't make so much as a creak as he stepped on it, and several shelves and chests of drawers dotted around the room. And there, in the centre, were his cases and belongings.
Giving a harrumph of dissatisfaction, he sat down heavily on the bed and held his head in his hands. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to transfer to the London Branch; he'd merely been sick of Greece and the horrible things it did to his skin and hair. He'd wanted to go to the Northern England Branch, as that was where he'd know William had been sent from the Academy; granted, pure luck made it so that William was now his boss in the London Branch, but he wondered if it would simply have been better for the two to have not seen each other again. That way, he wouldn't have been stunned so suddenly and become so hopeful at seeing William again, only to have it all shot down when he'd realised just how cold his old friend –and love- had become.
Giving a tired laugh, he quickly looked up when his door opened slowly, the Shinigami who'd been on his mind walking through with a folded suit jacket in his arms.
"I have something for you." William spoke clearly as he stepped in, back ramrod straight as he regarded Grell. The redhead raised an eyebrow, arms crossing over his chest as he looked at the garment in William's arms.
"If this is the part where you tell me you've had a string of lovers after me, I'm not going to be impressed~" Grell grinned, although William didn't give any reaction other than a disapproving stare. "Oh fine then, but I hope you know I can see straight through this hard shell of yours; I can see the soft William hiding underneath!" Another stare was passed his way, before William cleared his throat and handed Grell the suit jacket.
"It's yours. I didn't have a chance to send it to you when I first arrived here, and I forgot about it until today." The lack of a proper time made Grell suspect that William hadn't completely forgotten about him in his time here; he knew the darker haired Shinigami could get so wrapped up in his work that he would come across as forgetful or ignorant. He also knew that that wasn't the case, it was merely William preferred to get everything done first so he wouldn't have to work any longer than necessary.
"Aw, you kept it! You do care!"
"Don't get any incorrect ideas. I simply did not have the time to send it back to you." William's tone was sharp, as though he were trying to get Grell to understand it without getting any dramatic ideas. Grell scoffed.
"Yes, yes, that's what you say, Will. You'll be mine again soon enough~" Grell's grin widened as he took the jacket from William, walking across the room to hang it up on a hook on the back of the door. Grell kept his eyes on William as he followed him across the room, opening the door once Grell had stepped away from it and leaving through it.
"I didn't fall for your flirts the first time, Sutcliff; I certainly won't this time. Trying anything would be a waste of your time." The door was shut abruptly with a snap, Grell watching the door with a suspicious grin on his face that would have put the London Undertaker to shame. Because to him, those words weren't a warning to back off.
No, they were an invitation.
