Happy New Years

Short Undertaker/Grell drabble written on New Years because I was bored, inspired by a conversation with my roleplay partner. It's...not very long, nor very good, but I figured, why not. Enjoy~

It was the night of December 31st, 1889 and it was snowing in London. The streets, usually bustling with energy and prople, were now deserted, aside from the occasional homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk or the random coach passing by.

It was ten o'clock, and Grell Sutcliff had nowhere to go to spend the passing of the year. She walked through the empty streets of London with her arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to warm up. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to wear that strapless dress.

Then again, it hadn't been such a good idea to wear that dress at all, since it was mostly because of it that Grell was now walking the streets alone with her makeup smeared down her face, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

It was such a lovely dress, too. It was, and looked, rather expensive, but in Grell's opinion, it had been well worth it. The plan had been, strut into the office's New Year party in it and rock it, get compliments, dance, and maybe share a New Years kiss with someone. Sadly, her plans didn't go as smoothly as she had thought. Instead of getting compliments, everyone backed away and whispered. Instead of approval, all she got were dirty looks. But the cherry on top of the cake was when William came up to her and said, "go take that off, you look ridiculous". She held her face until she was out of the ballroom, though she heard laughter exploding behind her as soon as the door was closed. So she ran away, and ran, and ran, until she found herself in London, with a broken heel and a broken heart. Feeling rather tired, she sat down on the steps to a house and brought her knees up to her chest, and cried.

"My my, what do we have here~?" The voice that came from behind her startled her enough to make Grell gasp and scramble away. She hadn't heard the door open, and now she was looking back at it, and at the grinning, silver-haired figure at the doorway. A quick glance up to above the door confirmed it, she had managed to land on Undertaker's doorstep. "Why is such a beautiful lady crying alone outside on New Years? Come now, dear, come inside," he said, offering her his hand. "Let's get you all warmed up, shall we?"

It was eleven o'clock on New Years Eve and Grell was sitting at Undertaker's parlor, with a beaker of tea in her hands and his coat around her as she sobbed and told him what happened. Upon the conclusion of her story, he frowned and stood from where he was sitting across from her, to take a seat by her side and rub her back in a soothing gesture.

"I feel so cast out right now," she sobbed, trying to will her tears away but failing. "Like I'm always the laughing stock. I could hear them, how they said it was such a pretty, how it would look o much better on a real woman and not on some goddamn Molly!" Undertaker's frown only intensified, and he gently reached out to brush her bangs away from her face.

"Real woman? My darling, there is no woman out there that can hold a candle to you. Can't you see? How they're all green with envy? They won't hesitate to put you down because you're above them. You're so much more beautiful than they will ever be. That dress looks absolutely stunning on you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she said, sobbing and looking away from Undertaker. A part of her wanted to believe him so bad, to think of herself as beautiful, but there were days where she just couldn't, even if that wasn't what her grin said when she paraded into the office on those days. Next to her, she heard him sigh.

"Grell, look at me." Slowly, she turned her sad eyes towards him. He had brushed his own bangs away from his face so that she could look him in the eyes, those eyes she was so smitten with, as he talked. "I would not say those things if I didn't think they were true. You are very lovely, you have an exotic beauty. The way your hair contrasts with your pale skin and bright green eyes, it's very beautiful. The shape of your face, the contours of your body, everything about you is breathtaking. William, he's a fool for not seeing it. Ridiculous? He's the one who's ridiculous, for casting you away." His hand went up to her face to cup her cheek, and she found herself leaning into touch. "Such a lovely lady shouldn't be alone on New Years. You should be out with a handsome man, one who loves you for who you are. One that won't let the others trample all over you and protect you."

What was left unsaid was how he wanted to be that man, though. How he had been smitten with her looks and wild personality from the moment they met, how he wanted her to be with him. But alas, he was old and damaged, she deserved someone who was more like her. Someone around her age, someone beautiful and unscathed. He did not consider himself beautiful nor handsome. But little did he know, she was just as smitten with him.

Grell's lips curled up slightly at that, and she wrapped Undertaker's coat tighter around her. It was warm and it smelled just like him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders to rest on her upper arm, and she leaned into him, which surprised him. The look of surprise that crossed his face only remained there for a moment, before being replaced with a very fond smile.

"How is it that someone hasn't taken you already?" He asked, vaguely unaware that he had said it out loud. Grell chuckled.

"Because nobody wants to date the gender-confused redhead." She tilted her head up to make eye contact with him, "though I could ask the same yourself."

It was Undertaker's turn to chuckle. "My dear, you overestimate how many live people come here. The town's undertaker is not exactly considered dating material, either. Every one wants meat, but nobody wants to date the butcher." For some reason, that sentence made Grell smile.

"I'm pretty fond of said butcher." Her eyes were soft, and her hand went up to his face, her thumb running across his cheek. Outside, far off in the distance, they could hear the Big Ben striking twelve o'clock. They were now entering 1890. Grell smiled. "You know, I've always wanted to share a New Year's kiss."

"Is that so?" Undertaker smiled back at her. "I can arrange for that."

Outside, the bells could still be heard, echoing throughout London, marking the arrival of a new year. Inside, Undertaker and Grell were sharing the first of many kisses yet to come between them. With a new year, came a new love; one that came to stay.