A Change of Heart
AN: Hey there! This is my first Black Butler fanfic. First thing I want to say is THANK YOU to my beta . Without here, this would probably not be as good as I hope it is. Second thing I want to mention: this is Sebastian/Grelle (just in case you wandered here on accident). I already have the story done, but I'll be posting only a few at a time since I'm busy. I would love reviews. I very much want to know what my readers think so I know if you'll be interested in a sequal.
Warnings: Dark themes, non-con, Ciel bashing, Will bashing, violence, eventual consensual M/M, minor OCs (villain, side characters)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sebastian, Grelle, Ciel, Will, Ronald, or Undertaker unfortunately. I also do not own Black Butler. All of them belong to Yana Toboso. I just enjoy playing with her characters. :P
CH 1
Depression. Soul-crushing sadness. That was how Grelle awoke each morning since Sebastian's departure with that demon brat. The crimson reaper stared up at the white ceiling (why had he not painted it red yet?) and tried to motivate himself into getting up. It was hard to, though, when he could not stop thinking about the handsome demon. Their last interaction had been Sebastian tossing him into an explosion. Grelle didn't mind too much; at least he had been helpful.
Grelle, despite most (if not all) people's views of him, was not stupid. Yes, his passions could override his logical thinking for a few moments, but afterward he could not stop dwelling on the events that had occurred. Grelle knew Sebastian did not love him; he wasn't sure, however, if the demon hated him. After all, Grelle had read up on the effects of the sea salt in the tea Sebastian had served him and knew it had healing properties. It had hurt like hell, but Sebastian wouldn't have done that if he hated him, right?
He allowed a few tears to escape. Alone in his room, Grelle let himself be weak.
If he didn't get up soon, he knew Will would be furious. His supervisor had been especially mean to him recently. Grelle knew he was falling behind in his work, but he couldn't help it. He could not muster up the will to do the job he loved so dearly. At first Will had given him overtime and extra paperwork, but as the months passed he started punishing him physically. Nothing too bad, Grelle supposed, considering the absolute anger he would see in his supervisor's eyes. It was usually a stab to the head with Will's tree trimmers and maybe a few hits. Though the cuts from the death scythe healed fairly quickly, the scar remained for, at most, a week after.
With a sigh, the red reaper rose from his bed and made his way to his wardrobe. After having donned his usual outfit of a white dress shirt, vest, bow tie, and red coat, Grelle sat on the stool in front of his vanity. He slowly brushed his long crimson hair, making sure to deal with each tangle and leave the strands feeling silky smooth. Grelle glanced over at his makeup as he brushed and sighed again. He would not be wearing his makeup today. What was the point? Why should he make himself beautiful for his beloved when his beloved was not there?
_††_
Grelle trudged sullenly down the hall at the Reaper Dispatch Society. He was going to go see Will and get his assignment for the day. He dragged his feet. Grelle really did not want to anything today, but he had no choice. Eventually, he came to a stop outside Will's office. He was about to knock when he heard voices coming from the other side of the door. Multiple voices. He felt himself grow confused; Will never had meetings so early in the morning. Curious, he leaned forward and lightly pressed his ear to the door; though the conversation was muffled, he could pick up bits and pieces of it:
"…to do with him?"
"…trouble…not worth…"
"I have a plan…Council…agreement." That last one was Will's voice. Grelle huffed quietly and leaned harder.
"What is it?"
"…filthy scum…demon…likes them."
"What!?"
"Grelle…punishment…broken the rules…a nuisance!" Grelle's eyes widened. As Grelle pushed closer to hear more, the door slid open and Grelle nearly fell over. Will and the others in the room looked over at him.
"Eavesdropping are we? Honestly," Will sighed in annoyance. "Well, I suppose it saves us the trouble of going to get you." Grelle didn't need to know more to sense that he was in danger. The crimson reaper spun on his heels and fled.
Grelle sprinted down the halls, Will and those he had been meeting with hot on his heels. At one point Will's scythe shot past him and nearly clipped his ear. Grelle put on an extra burst of speed and made it outside. Not one willing to just run like a complete coward, Grelle whirled about, his chainsaw materializing in his hands. A couple of the reapers that had been unlucky enough to have gotten to close were ripped to shreds, beautiful ruby red blood splattering everywhere. Unfortunately, Grelle was outnumbered and was quickly subdued, ending up face first on the ground with a familiar pair of shoes atop his head.
"Really, Mr. Sutcliff, you've only made this harder on yourself and us," Will said in his usual slight monotone. Grelle tried to respond, but was muffled by dirt. He could feel his hands being bound behind his back and his ankles tied together.
"You all may go now. I can handle this from here," Will told the others. Grelle heard them leaving and managed to maneuver his head enough to see more. To his surprise, Ronald Knox was standing a few feet away, looking rather guilty.
"Mr. Spears…shouldn't you at least explain things to him?" Ronald asked. Grelle could only imagine the look his superior gave the boy as he quickly turned and left.
"Mr. Sutcliff. Due to your slacking off and being an overall nuisance, the Reaper Dispatch Society has decided to be rid of you. You have been no help to us as of late and regularly display the utmost incompetence. We can no longer deal with you. Therefore, I took it upon myself to find a way to fix the problem. With consent from the Council, I have made a deal with, unfortunately, a demon. In exchange for you, said scum will, instead of causing havoc, make a contract for one soul and one soul only. He shall be arriving soon," explained Will.
"B-but I thought you hated demons?" Grelle managed, after having spit out some dirt.
"You are correct. It was an unfortunate necessity. The Council wished to make the best out of both situations."
It was a little while later that the sound of a portal being opened could be heard. Grelle whimpered. He really did not want to be given to some unknown demon. Grelle heard approaching footsteps.
"Well. How disappointing. I really thought my toy would be in better condition when I cam to retrieve it," drawled a deep voice from behind him. Grelle shivered unpleasantly.
"Yes, well, he would have been had he not tried to fight back," Will replied, a hint of disgust in his voice. The pressure on Grelle's head lifted, only for it to be yanked back cruelly by his hair. He looked up into a pair of ice blue eyes.
"Hello, pet."