A/N: Hey you guys! Here's the first chapter of my Grelliam fic! It gets reaaaaaasal lemony next chapter. Haha well I'd love constructive criticism and comments! This is my first ff ever written. Ever.
Grell was finally finished with the day's work. William had recruited him to work overtime, seeing as Alan was sick with the Thorns of Death and Eric was caring for him. Grell sighed, sitting on a bench in the cool London air, thinking about his two dear friends. Grell admired the way the Shinigami's cared for each other. He was honestly jealous. The redhead believed no one could love him like that. Grell thought back to the people that Eric and Alan reminded him of: His parents.
His parents were once two high ranking shinigami's and he guessed that was the only reason he was currently on the Dispatch Society. Their names were Margaret and Jack, and they were great parents, until the day they died. Grell lay on the bench, taking a break from his reaping. He looked up into the sky, watching the snowflakes begin to drop, and reminiscing. His parents had loved him dearly. They had encouraged his eccentricities and raised him to believe it was okay to be different. Grell sighed into the freezing night air. I wish they hadn't. Grell thought It brings so many troubles.
The only thing he was known for was his excessive flirting and flightiness. Grell scowled into the crisp night, thinking about his reputation. They thought he was a bloody bimbo who couldn't speak for himself. People shunned him because of his desire to be referred to as a woman and because of the way he dressed. Not to mention he had once sought after a demon. Grell tsked into the night air, shaking his head in disgust at his own thoughts.
"Grell Sutcliff." called the familiar cold voice into the cold night air. "Get off that damned bench and get to work. I need your assistance." It was William. He was the only other Death God working overtime and he rarely needed help. Grell stood from the bench, brushing the flurries off his blood red coat, and jogged to catch up with the older shinigami. He smiled his Cheshire cat smile.
"Oh Willie, love~! Are you sure you don't need a jacket? Or shall I warm you up, darling?" Grell asked when he arrived next to him, struggling to keep up in his heels. "You're going to freeze to death!" Grell saw William smirk slightly at the horrible pun. But he ignored the suggestion, as well as the insinuation.
"Let's just get this over with." He stated, resuming his usual stoic expression.
They were both coming back into the office together, after a difficult reaping. They were both exhausted and Grell was even fed up with his own eccentricities; Grell felt his face slip into the serious scowl he only wore in the confines of his own home. As he passed William's office, he saw the large stack of papers on his desk, eyes growing wide. "Those aren't…" he began, "Y-you aren't planning on doing those tonight, are you?" He stared incredulously at the dark haired man.
"Of course I am, Grell. Not all of us can slack off as much as you do." He said sounding tired, sitting down, and loosening his tie. He picked up the paper on top and began filling it out. Grell looked back to his own desk, containing nothing but a picture of himself with Eric, Alan, Ron, and Will. The office was quiet. They were the last ones here. It was eerie without Ronald making a joke and Alan coughing up a lung, Eric quickly rushing to help. He walked over, turning off the lamp at his desk with a sigh.
Grell entered the bathroom labeled 'Women', striding in with all the femininity he could muster. The redhead had been reprimanded for this quite a few times, but the office was empty now. Grell sauntered through the doorway, his red heels clicking against the tacky cream tile. He turned, his reflection surprising him. Almost all of his makeup had come off with the activities of the day. His cheeks flushed when he leaned in for further inspection. His cheekbones were prominent and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. Shit. He thought frantically Will has seen me like this. His eyes welled up with unshed tears, realizing that someone had seen how truly hideous he was without all the makeup. Grell reached into the small red purse, always at his side, and extracted a single crimson hairbrush. He pulled it through the tangles, allowing his worries to fade as he stared at the beauty that was his hair. It was his ultimate pride. The long, blood-red locks were the only thing Grell truly loved about himself. He straightened himself up, realizing that Will had seen him looking worse. They had known each other for decades, and William had already seen him in the heat of battle, covered in blood and sweat. Besides, he thought, It's not as if he really looks at me. Grell shook his head, summoning a smile. "Time to work, dearest!" He said to his reflection, as if waiting for it to laugh at him. Grell walked out of the bathroom, head held high. He sauntered into Will's office, not bothering to knock.
He crossed the room, pulling up a chair across from the elder one, and sat down, beginning on the paperwork in front of him. "Honestly, Sutcliff, Your help is not needed any further. You can go home." William said persistently, eager for peace and quiet. Grell sighed, putting down his signature red pen. His temper was extremely short, and home was the last place he wanted to go.
"Will, it's okay to ask for help every once in a while." He picked up his crimson pen, and continued his work. As an afterthought, he added "Besides, who wouldn't want to spend their evening with you, hm dear?" They continued in silence for awhile, focusing on the task at hand.
"Thank you." William said stiffly, breaking the cold silence.
The reply had come unexpected. "Y-you're welcome, Will." Grell said stuttering a bit. Will was usually so cold. Grell looked up at the dark haired shinigami in surprise. Will did not notice, and continued his work, Grell soon joining him. A few minutes passed and the redhead started breaking a sweat. He put the pen down and stood, his limbs stretching as he yawned. He removed his red coat and tie, setting them on the floor beside his chair. He loosened the top button on his white button-up shirt. He then flipped his mass of hair over, gathering it all in a high ponytail. Feeling much more comfortable, he returned to his seat and continued the bland paperwork.
Grell could see William watching him from the corner of his eye. He watched as Will's eyebrows furrowed, and he leaned forward, biting the inside of his cheek. Grell's cheeks flushed at the oncoming question. "Grell, are you..alright?" Will asked, his eyes remaining on Grell's face. The redhead thought back to his mirror reflection and swore to himself he would never forget his makeup bag at home again. He knew what Will was seeing: his sunken cheeks and dark eyes, weary from exhaustion.
He looked up, plastering a smile on his face, but avoiding the other's eyes. "I'm fine, deary! There's no need to worry about me, my love." Grell said, mustering up all his energy to focus on being his usual eccentric self. It seemed he had used up all of his energy, though, for as soon as William looked away, eyebrows still knitted together in doubt, Grell let his face fall. He reached up to massage his thrumming temples.
They slowly reached the end of the pile of papers; Will of course, took the last. Grell watched as his senpai stood, tightening his tie and putting his coat on, preparing for the night chill. Grell did the same, but left his hair up. They silently left the room, locking up behind them. Grell sighed as the stepped outside into the crisp winter breeze.
"Grell," Will began "I thank you very much, and I ask for your company. I am going out to eat and would like you to join. Think of it as a token of my appreciation." Grell looked long and hard at the older shinigami, trying to detect an alternate innuendo behind his words. He knew William could be very cold most of the time, but he also knew that Will was not rude. After thinking about the consequences, and finding none, he accepted.
"Well, no one has asked me to dinner in quite a while." He said, acquiescing. Actually, I haven't eaten in a while. Grell thought, turning away from Will to hide his tired face.
"We will, of course pay for our own respective meals, and this will be viewed only as coworkers having dinner after overtime; nothing more." He sighed at the smug smile on Grell's face. "Honestly, Sutcliff, did you hear even one word I just said?" William asked, sounding exasperated.
"Of course darling~! Let's go get some food, yes?" Grell replied, ignoring his Senpai's aforementioned words.
They approached a restaurant, one rather popular among the shinigami's, and Grell stopped dead in his tracks. "W-Will, stop. I can't go in there." Grell said, his heart fluttering. Will looked at him questioningly, and Grell knew he was frustrated at the sudden mood swing. "I've only been here once." He continued. "They were horrible to me. I thought since I was a paying customer they might respect me a bit more, but they shunned me just like everyone else. They sent me away and made a big scene of embarrassing me." He said, his nervousness causing him to babble. Grell watched as William's face flushed a bit, his jaw clenching. His fists balled, and his expression as steely as ever.
"No matter, Grell. You're with me. There is nothing to worry about." He said, the anger evident in the way his voice shook. Grell convinced himself not to feel special. William would've acted the same had it been another one of his coworkers that were treated like so. Still, though. Will didn't get it.
"B-but don't you see? It's because I'm with you!" Grell started, trying to make Will understand. "If they see me with you, you'll only get a bad reputation. And you can't afford that, what with your ranking and all." Grell said, his back turned to hide is flushing face. Grell felt a stiff hand reach out, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. "I don't give a shit what they think." He spat, his face just as cold as ever, "I chose to come here with you and we will enjoy this meal. It will probably be your first one in awhile, judging from the looks of it." He said, finally losing his temper. Grell turned his face away, his eyes becoming glassy, suddenly needing to return to his usual self. "A-alright, Will." He said, giving in. He stepped away, yanking the hairband from his hair, and shaking out the red locks to hide behind. He straightened his coat, and stepped inside the restaurant after his senpai.
The hostess greeted William with a smile and a bow, the smile falling when seeing Grell. Her eyebrows knitted and her nose turned up, she spoke "Excuse me sir, but-", she started, knowing the redhead preferred to be referred to as a woman.
Will stepped into the hostess' line of sight, "She and I would like a table for two." He said curtly, emphasizing the usage of the word 'she'. Grell's face flushed harder, though he did smile a bit when William called him that. He had never referred to him as a woman, and Grell thought that he was just another who disapproved of it… apparently not, though.
They took a seat, receiving many glares and whispers as they did so. They were placed in a secluded booth in the back. There was a candle lit between them, and it was rather embarrassing. "I wish they wouldn't go to these extremes to humiliate us." Will said with a sigh, eyes falling onto the lit candle and bottle of Chardonnay already on the table.
Grell looked up in surprise, "Is that what they're really trying to do? Make it look as if we're on a… date?" Grell's stomach churned at the thought; his hands began to sweat, and he realized just how nervous the atmosphere made him.
William seemingly ignored the question, and poured the wine into the glasses, "No need to let it go to waste." He murmured, and settled back, his cold face unchanging.
The dinner had been wonderful. Grell thought back to the small talk and the delicious Italian meal he'd had. His stomach full, and his head light from the wine, he walked down the street with Will. Even Will's walking was looser than usual, and he was much more sociable. The small talk continued, and Grell's light flirting hardly noticeable with the warmth of the alcohol occupying their bodies. He took Will's arm, and lay his head on his shoulder. "Do walk me home, please, Mr. Spears." He said teasingly, "It's not safe around these parts for a young lady to be walking alone."
Will gave a slight smirk at the request. "Of course, ma'am, if you insist." William replied, humouring the young Shinigami, even though his dinner was feeling rather unsettled in his stomach with the close proximity to the redheaded death god. They walked and walked, finally arriving at Grell's apartment. "Would you like to come in?" Grell said, fishing for the key in his coat.
"If we can get in." Will said as Grell continued to dig through his pockets. Grell's heartbeat increased and his face flushed, "Will, darling, I think I'm locked out." He slurred, finally giving up.
His mind still cloudy from the wine, Grell pouted, turning around on his heel and retreating. "Where do you think you're going?" William asked rather soberly. He had had much less wine than the other.
"Well, your house, of course! Where else am I supposed to sleep?" He asked, stumbling over a curb. Will hurried to catch up with Grell, catching his arm before he fell to his death.
"Watch where you're walking, please." Grell ignored him, but accepted the arm extended towards him. He smiled into the night, the dark haired shinigami warming him more than his coat. They finally got there, and Willl opened the door with a sweeping hand, gesturing for the other to lead the way. Grell stepped in the doorway, and looked around, curious to know where his senpai lived and slept. The apartment was very much like Will himself, modern furniture and everything clean. He saw a door behind the kitchen that was half open and must've led into the bedroom.
Grell walked into the living area, taking a seat. "I like it. A lot." Grell said with a smile, being completely honest. It was cozy, yet neat; much like William was. William walked to the kitchen and into the bedroom, it seemed, and retreated with a towel.
"You may use the shower, it's been a long day. The bathroom is through my bedroom. You can borrow some clothes for tonight, also. I will arrange the couch for you." Grell smiled, thankful for the hospitality and silently made his way to the shower. He disappeared behind the door and left Will to himself.