"Sorry, I'm not ready for a relationship right now."
Ronald sighed at the rejection and, with a simple wave, left the new receptionist behind her desk. What was wrong with women these days? The blond shinigami flirted and asked out over half of the female population in the London Dispatch department and, although over half of them flirted back, they all ended up rejecting him.
I must be losing my touch, Ronald thought as his usual cheerful smile fell and was replaced with a slight frown. For the past week, Ronald had been spending his free time at the nearest tavern, drinking up a storm to cope with the loneliness he'd been feeling. No parties were going on that he'd been invited to, no friends to spend time with, and no dates to be going on to ease boredom. He liked to stay busy, especially with girls, to keep his mind off of how unfulfilled his life really was, but now that there was absolutely nothing for him to do, it was getting rather difficult not to look at himself with distaste. Hence, the drinking. Ronald often came to work after a day of self loathing with a massive hangover, clothes disheveled and expression unnaturally gloomy, causing everyone to think he was either sick or depressed.
Could he blame this week-long depression solely on his inability to get a date, go out, or have fun?
Nope.
Being too busy glaring at the floor, Ronald wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and ended up crashing into a wall.
"Ouch!" He shouted as he fell and landed on his butt. Looking up, the young shinigami noticed that he didn't run into a wall, but his superior William T. Spears, who looked like he didn't even budge an inch at the collision. William, holding his trademark death scythe, adjusted his glasses and looked down at his subordinate.
"Ronald Knox, I suggest you focus your attention more on where you are going and less on the female staff." The man said flatly. Ronald stood up and brushed himself off, avoiding eye contact with his boss, the major cause of his bitterness this past week.
"Sorry," he mumbled, remembering all of his rejections by his female coworkers. He really needed to get out of there and get a drink. Or ten, like he did the other day when he felt this way.
William raised an eyebrow at the younger male. "Your appearance leaves much to be desired. I suggest you don't stay up until ungodly hours of the night attempting to drink yourself to death." Ronald sighed as he attempted to brush past his boss, failing as the man held his scythe out to block him.
"I've had a bad day, alright?" the blond growled in a very uncharacteristic way. "Can you please move your scythe?" William ignored him as he made no attempt to move, instead opening his mouth to speak.
"Is there something bothering you?" William asked, looking down at his employee. "Because there is a pile of paperwork on your desk that requires your full attention and I would hate for you to miss out on another one of your parties due to working overtime because you failed to complete it because of your foul mood." Ronald glared at his superior, hurt in his eyes as he turned his head in the opposite direction.
"N-nothing for you to concern yourself with," he mumbled. William was unconvinced, but made no move to show it.
"Just do not let your bad mood interfere with your work or it shall cost you." He said, removing his scythe out of the way of the officer. Ronald stood there for a few seconds before turning his head away from his boss and trudging past him.
"Thanks for caring," the blond said crossly, walking towards his department office, frown deepening as his eyes went back to focusing on the ground.
Really, William-senpai is the last person I want to scold me on a day like this, Ronald thought. The blond and brown haired shinigami walked right into his department room and over to his desk, scooping up his shoulder bag and filling it with paperwork wordlessly.
"Leaving early?" Came a voice from behind the young reaper. Ronald turned to see Eric standing behind him, a smirk planted on his lips.
"Yeah," Ronald muttered, throwing the bag over his shoulder. "Can't stand to be in this place a second longer." Eric let out a laugh and threw his arm over his junior's shoulder.
"We all feel that way, kid," the older shinigami assured Ronald. "Doesn't mean you can just get up and leave. You gotta stick to what you have to do, no matter if you had a bad day or not. Besides, William would throw a fit if you left." At that, Ronald narrowed his eyes.
"Like he would care if I left," Ronald replied, shrugging Eric's arm off. "I could drop off the face of the planet and bet he wouldn't even bat an eye. Probably just replace me the next day," the younger shinigami sighed. Eric stopped smirking and raised an eyebrow.
"Where did that come from?" he asked. Ronald shrugged.
"I just get that vibe from him. He knows I've been having a bad week, and yet instead of asking me how I am he just warns me not to let my mood interfere with the job. Some boss," Ronald muttered darkly.
"William is like that, we all know it. Don't let it bother you." Alan said, appearing beside Eric with a small smile on his face.
"No, he's like that to me. He's actually slightly more decent to you guys, I've noticed, praising you guys and actually listening and caring about what you guys say instead of blowing you off like you don't matter. I'm sick of it, so I'm gonna leave, drink til I pass out, then deal with William-senpai tomorrow when I feel too groggy to care about what he says." Ronald said, turning to walk away until Eric grabbed his shoulder and held him back.
"Calm down, I don't think you need to be drinking anymore." He said, a serious look on his face.
"And if that's coming from Eric, then you should listen to him," Alan threw in in a lame attempt to lighten the mood. Ronald sighed.
"Who cares?" he asked, turning away from the two elder shinigami.
"I do!" Eric said. "You've been drinking almost every night and it's not doing anything to improve your health or mood. Its making you worse."
"So what? It's not like I can drink myself to death." And with that, Ronald turned and walked away, leaving a speechless Eric and Alan behind.
"Stuuupid Eric, trying to control me. Stuuupid Alan for not being funny. Stuuupid William, cold hearted, evil, work-a-holic." Ronald muttered as he slammed his glass down on the table and slumped in his chair.
"Wow, you sure can hold your liquor," one of the women that sat with the shinigami at the small table at the tavern said with a giggle. Ronald smiled sheepishly at the two women that sat across from him.
"Well, ya seeee, the guy I work for gives me a LOT of practice," he frowned crossing his arms. "I need anotheeer…drink."
"You can have mine," the second woman said with a smile. "I think the waiter is getting annoyed with you." She laughed. Ronald looked down at the small wooden table. Glasses littered the oak surface, around ten to fifteen of them in all. Ronald looked at the glass handed to him and smiled.
"Thank you!" he said happily, sounding like a kid on Christmas.
"No problem, you're funny when you're drunk," The woman winked. "Though whenever you think you've had enough, you can come and stay the night at our place." Ronald grinned. His luck was finally turning around! Girls actually wanted to be around him! Though there was the constant nagging in the back of his head but he couldn't place the reason behind it.
"Sorry, caaan't." Ronald said, finishing up the beverage. "Work tomorrow." The ladies frowned.
"With that evil beast of a boss you mentioned earlier?" The first woman asked.
"You should just quit! You can work for our daddy. He's a great, nice man." The second one said. Ronald layed his head down on the little space he had left and shook his head.
"I can't just quiiit! I can't-no-its not that simple." Ronald slurred. "An' Will isn't THAT bad of a boss." The young shinigami started giggling. "I really, reeeallly like him. He hates me though,"
"Oh, dear, that's why you shouldn't work for him! He doesn't appreciate you enough!" the first woman said.
"Yeah! We appreciate you! And our daddy would appreciate you more than he does!" Ronald gave a loud sigh and sat up, a tired expression on his face.
"I caaaaaaaaan't! I WANT to work for him, even if 'e doesn't like me."
"Why?" the two women asked in unison. Ronald sat up straight and extended his arms in a stretch, almost falling over to the side in the process. He looked at the two girls and smiled widely before resting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands.
"It's a secret that I promised not to tell." He whispered.
"I don't get it, how can you want to work for someone who treats you horrendously?" the first woman asked. Ronald shrugged.
"I dunno. I guesssss…..he wasn't always like that. Used to be slightly nicer. Like a gopher or sumthin." With that, Ronald stood up and proceeded to wobble away from the table towards the front of the tavern.
"Where are you going in that state? Come home with us for the night, we don't want you to pass out on the side of the road. Then you can think over the idea of working for our father," the first woman said, walking over to the obviously drunken shinigami.
"Naaaah, gotta work then home then senpai, or the other way around, or something." Ronald said, brushing the very confused lady off and stumbling to the door and outside into the crisp, evening air. It was dark, and his vision was blurry.
Hmmm…. I drank faar mooore than I usually do… Ronald thought happily as the stumbled through the empty streets of London. I feel sooooo much better! William-meanie-senpai-man can't bring me down! The shinigami walked off down the sidewalk, slowly weaving his way through dark alleys and buildings. Now, how do I get home again? Ronald thought with a chuckle as he walked into another dark alley. The eerie silence that surrounded him was broken with a sharp scream that sounded not too far off from where the blond youth stood.
"That sounded like a woman…" Ronald muttered before smiling. "I bet Will-senpai is over there makin' 'er scream." He laughed, heading into the direction of the sound.
"Where is Ronald Knox?" William asked, slamming open the door of the London Dispatch Department, an irritated look evident on his otherwise stoic features.
"Will~!" Grell cheered, lunging for the taller male until William side-stepped and avoided the glomp.
"Let me repeat myself: Where is Ronald Knox?" William asked, readjusting his glasses.
"He's not here," Eric said, arms behind his head as he sat back in his chair. "He left." William looked surprised for a moment before the atmosphere fell again.
"And why would he do that, when he knows its strictly against the rules? Or that he has a large amount of paperwork that must be completed?" the superior asked. Eric shrugged.
"Beats me, why don't you ask yourself that?" he retaliated earning an eyebrow raise from the stoic shinigami. Eric sighed. "The kid's beat. He's had a rough week, and your attitude towards him hasn't been making it better. Though, I guess it's not all your fault, seeing as he goes out and drinks every night too."
"How I treat Ronald Knox is no different then how I treat all of you," William said. Alan stood up from his desk beside Eric.
"Are you blind—?" Eric started when Alan raised his hand up in front of his best friend's face to silence him.
"Actually, Eric is right. You've been hard on Ronald lately. I've never seen him so angry and depressed before. He was like a completely different person. He hasn't even smiled lately."
"Usually you can never see the kid without a smile on his face. But these past few days he's been a pale mess, and the reason why he drinks every night is to try to make himself feel better, which in turn makes him worse."
"And you believe that is my fault?" William asked. Eric shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not, but you should be the one to go find him and talk to him." The blond and brown haired man said. William sighed and turned to walk out of the office.
"If that's what you all think then so be it." William muttered, walking out of the office and teleporting into the crisp night air of London, death scythe in hand. Scanning the dark streets with his the shinigami's deep emerald eyes, William jumped from rooftop to rooftop in search of his subordinate.
I've once heard Eric mention that Ronald would spend time in this particular area often.
Suddenly, a scream echoed throughout the town, and for a split second, the raven haired shinigami hesitated in his search before mentally shrugging and jumping to the next building.
Probably some unfortunate woman caught by a demon. He thought as he spotted the tavern below that Eric mentioned Ronald goes to every night. Landing swiftly on the ground, William stepped into the tavern and shielded his eyes from the overly lit room. The shinigami stepped further into the building, not even bothering to conceal his death scythe. Glancing around the large room, William failed to spot the usually cheerful and happy junior shinigami. He continued walking around. Drunk people and sober people laughed, some shouted, and horrible music blared from the corner where an overly joyous band played. Waiters bustled about serving drinks to every raised hand, and disorder was everywhere, along with the lingering scent of alcohol and nicotine smoke. Definitely a scene Ronald Knox would be at.
"That guy was so cute, shame he had to leave." William heard a female say in a dreamy voice. Curious, he looked over to see two women sitting at a small table covered in empty glasses.
"Yeah, he should have come home with us. We could have shown him the time of his life." The second woman said, thin lips twisted into a frown. William's eyebrow twitched as he approached the two women.
"You wouldn't be talking about a young man with blond and brown hair and thick glasses, would you?" he asked, pulling out a card and handing it to the closest female. He looked down at the table littered with glasses, then over at the obviously sober women.
"Yes we are…" the furthest woman replied, eyeing the shinigami curiously. "Really cute kid, seemed down so we bought him some drinks." She giggled and eyed the table. "He got really happy really quick."
"Sister!" the first woman gasped, staring down at the card William gave her. "Its that man!" The second woman looked over at the card.
"It's true! The man poor Ronnie dear was talking about! William T. Spears." She said the dark haired mans name as if it was poison on her tongue. The two woman looked back up at him. "You are a horrible person, torturing that young man like that!" William looked at the two with surprise.
"And what, pray tell, have I done?" he asked, genuinely confused. The first woman crossed her arms.
"As if you didn't already know! You're the reason poor Ronnie was so depressed!"
"He told us the stories of how awful his whole week has been, and how the way you've been treating him only makes it worse!" the sister finished before turning back to her sibling. "I still cannot believe that he refuses to quit that job of his and come work for Father."
"Oh I know!" the first woman finished in exasperation. "I also cannot believe that he left out on his own in his state, even after we offered him lodging for the night."
William, who had been tempted to just walk away and avoid more insults thrown his way about how he was the main reason for Ronald Knox's depression, froze at hearing what the first woman just said.
"Excuse me," he said, regaining the unwanted attention of the two sisters, "where has my employee gone off to?" he asked, voice flat. The first woman huffed and crossed her arms, looking away.
"I don't see a reason to tell you," she replied. "I still will never understand what he sees in you, just by looking at you I can tell what kind of indecent person you are." William sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a major migraine coming on.
"The man you are so fond of, Ronald Knox, is running around on the streets, obviously drunk pass safe standards. He could get hurt if you do not tell me where he went off to and when. I merely want to ensure his safe return home."
The two women were silent for a few moments before the second one spoke up.
"We couldn't quite understand what he was saying when he left, but he said he was going to work, then home, then to his senpai. But I believe since he was drunk he got mixed up, so we don't really know where he went."
"I see," William replied, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you very much," he said, giving a slight bow before turning to walk away.
"Excuse me," the first woman said, making William turn back around to look at her. "Can you tell Ronnie when he is more sober that our offer still stands?" she asked, a small smile on her lips. "Tell him that he can reach us at—"
"Ronald Knox is mine," William replied, eyes narrowed. "Please find another person to seduce into working for your father," Without another word, William walked out of the tavern, leaving two very shocked ladies behind.
Well that was an utter waste of time, William thought as he scanned the surrounding alleys and buildings, letting out a sigh. Looks like this is going to be much harder then I originally thought.
Ronald had been walking for what felt like hours, only to realize that it had been ten minutes.
"I'm soo tiirrreeed," he moaned, stumbling a little and reaching out to the brick wall of the alley beside him. "Where'd senpai go?" he thought out loud, looking around through the darkness. "Thought I heard the scream from 'round here…." He took a few steps forward and stepped into a puddle. Looking down, he saw the dark liquid all around him, spread out on the ground in puddles. Judging by the scent in the air, it didn't take him long to realize the liquid was blood. The area looked similar to a slaughter house, with blood splattered on the brick and all over the ground. And just a few feet ahead of him, Ronald made out a pale lump covered with the same substance, which, despite his drunken state, he quickly concluded to be the body. He let out the air he didn't know he'd been holding.
"Woah! What on earth—" he started when he sensed something coming towards him from behind. With delayed reflexes, he sidestepped out of the way but not before his are was nicked with what felt like claws as a gust of air flew past him. He let out a faint yelp as his back hit the wall and he fell down, due to the alcohol in his system preventing him to stand up properly. "D-demon…?" he questioned as he slowly stood up, using the wall as support. A cackling was heard from the figure as the black form stepped into the moonlight so Ronald could make out his appearance.
It was a young man, probably early twenties, with long black hair that parted over his right eye. He wore civilian clothing consisting of a black coat that layed over what appeared to be a black suit. The one eye showing glowed a faint red as he eyed the shinigami up and down.
"Ah, a shinigami. I do not believe I have ever seen one of your kind wandering the streets drunk like a human before." He smiled gently. Ronald laughed.
"Weeell, if 'ur life has been anythin' like mine's been, you find that gettin' drunk can be a stress reliever."
"Interesting," the demon mused. "But as you know, shinigami hate us demons for the consumption of the souls they try to reap, so now that you have seen me indulge myself with said soul, what do you plan to do?" Ronald leaned back on the wall, gripping his arm. He found that his healing powers were acting slower than usual, something that always happened when he got drunk, and cursed himself mentally that it would happen at a time like this. He let out a sigh.
"Welll, demons don't bother me 'alf as bad as the others, but I bet good ol' William would scold me if I jus' let ya off the hook…" he slurred, taking a step away from the wall, raising his arms behind his back and pulling out his death scythe from nowhere. "…so I guess I oughta take care of ya before he finds out."
"I see," the demon said thoughtfully. "Well, I hope the alcohol in your system hasn't impaired your ability to fight." He said, pointing to the blonds arm. At this, Ronald let out another laugh.
"Oh, don't worry, it 'as. But I guess I don't really care thaaat much." He smiled softly.
"Oh?" the demon asked, frown forming on his face. The shinigami nodded.
"Yeah, I can drop off the face of the earth, an' the one person I would wan' ta care the most wouldn't bat an eye."
"I understand," the demon said. "I shall not go easy on you," he replied, lunging forward. Ronald swayed slightly as he dived with his death scythe and dodged the attack, swinging back around and aiming for the demon, missing him by a hair, probably due to his intoxication. The demon stuck his leg out in an attempt to trip Ronald, while the shinigami gripped the handle of his scythe and jumped, avoiding the attack and bringing a swift kick to the demon's shoulder.
"My, my, even drunk you are a somewhat descent opponent." The demon complimented, sending another kick Ronald's way, missing again. Ronald lunged with his death scythe towards the demon, once again missing by a hair. "Your attacks are a little off, I'm afraid." Ronald jumped back, already out of breath and tired.
"Thanks," he gasped, "you're a descent opponent too. What's 'ur name?" he asked, trying to buy a little time to catch his breath. The demon smiled.
"I have quite a few names, actually, but you may call me Alexander. And you are?" he asked, gesturing towards the worn out male.
"Ronald Knox," he replied.
"Well then, Ronald Knox, it has been a pleasure to meet you but now I am afraid you must die. And do not worry, for there will be no more holding back so your death will be quick and painless." Ronald let out a chuckle.
"You were 'oldin back? Thought ya said you wouldn't dooo thaaaat," he smirked yet mentally face palmed himself.
Come on Ronald! Can't afford to be drunk right now!
"I merely wanted to play a little, have a little fun. But now I fear our fun must come to an end. Good bye," the demon said, lunging forward with more ease and accuracy then before. Before Ronald could process it, the demons arm went right through his torso, a wave of pain and nausea washing over him. Pulling his arm out, the demon licked his hand and smirked. "That wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be," he said, taking a step back and turning around, ducking just in time as the death scythe flew right over his head.
"I'm...not...not done…yet…" Ronald gasped, pulling off a smirk as he took the demon's surprise as a chance to attack, landing a blow on his upper body. The sound of clothes ripping and blood splattering mingled in with the sound of the death scythe's revving. Many reels of the cinematic record spewed out, showing a part of the demon's life. Ronald, however, had no interest in watching it as he went on to attack the demon once more. Adrenaline flowed through his veins as he lunged for the demon the second time. Completely alert, Alexander dodged quickly and caught the death scythe by the base, holding the blades in place merely a few inches away from him.
"I thought you were weak enough to die with one strike…" the demon mused as Ronald pushed the scythe further towards him.
"I thought…all demons knew that there was only…one way to kill a shinigami," he replied, the alcohol finally wearing off and leaving him completely aware.
"True," Alexander replied, frowning as the blades got closer to his face. "I was hoping, at least, to damage you beyond repair. But you never cease to surprise me. It is truly a shame that this all must end, for, to be honest, this is the most fun I have endured in ages." The demon swung the scythe back and flung Ronald into the wall. The shinigami looked up at the demon, who now stood above him with the death scythe perched over his head. "There is only one way to kill a demon as well," Alexander said, swinging the scythe down as the last wave of adrenaline over took Ronald and he dodged at the last second. However, once he stood up he was too late to move as his scythe flew towards him, slashing his chest in a wound similar to the one Alexander had. The pain was unbearable as Ronald's own cinematic record spilt out, revealing his past.
X Beginning of Record
["Welcome to the Shinigami Academy. My name is William T. Spears, and I am the shinigami in charge of the London Dispatch Society, and the one to get you started here as well. If you have any questions then feel free to ask. I am available from noon to six, but I will accommodate you if you come to me at five-thirty."]
The second I saw him as I lined up with the other new shinigami, I couldn't help but think he was too amazing for words.
["Ronald, do you think Mr. Spears is great as well?"] one of the new shinigami next to me asked. I didn't say anything, but at that moment I vowed to get placed in his division, and no one else.
["Ronald, look out!"] I heard my partner for the soul reaping part of the test scream as the reels of tape flew towards me, grabbing my arms and legs and impaling me in the chest. I screamed at the pain, but with the help of my partner managed to slash the reels and collect the soul, fainting afterwards.
["Luckily he didn't contract the Thorns of Death, but it was a close call."] I overheard the doctor say outside of my door in the hospital room. Mr. Spears walked in afterwards and stood by my bed as I sat up. ["Congratulations, you passed. You may go and have your glasses specially made whenever you wish."]
["But, the cinematic record almost killed me…"]
["Do not press the matter, for the same thing also happened me. But you successfully gathered the soul and because of that you pass."] He was a very nice person.
["Ronald Knox, you are placed in the London division."] I looked over at William and could have sworn I saw him smile as I bowed to the head of the Academy. I then put on my new glasses and smiled back, the same smile that would be my trademark smile.
["You like Will, don't you?"] My red headed senpai teased one day as I left said person's office after delivering some paperwork.
["Shut up, Grell-senpai. I do not,"]
["Good, because William is mine~"] And since that day, I made it my mission to do whatever it takes to make the words I spoke true, constantly flirting and dating the female coworkers.
["I'm finally going to tell William-senpai how I feel,"] I often told myself before going to work. I felt confident today, however. I walked into the building and towards his office. The door was slightly ajar so I peeked in, only to feel my heart drop inside of my chest. There, I saw Grell-senpai, leaning over the desk to be, what appeared to be, kissing my favorite senpai. Quietly, I slipped away, biting back the tears.
["Kid, you look awful. You feeling alright?"] Eric-senpai asked me the first day I stayed up all night, drinking my depression away. I nodded.
["Yeah, I just have a huge hangover from last night, nothing major."] And later that day I saw William-senpai walking towards me. Then walking past me, as if I didn't exist. And it stayed that way for days. So I drank every night to feel better, and came in to work every day looking worse than before, hoping that he would care enough to talk to me once again.
["Ronald Knox, I suggest you focus your attention more on where you are going and less on the female staff."] That's it. The first form on acknowledgement I get in days and it is an insult. And when I hear him ask me what is wrong, I could feel my heart skip a beat, until he mentions the paperwork. Then I crash. He had Grell-senpai, he didn't need me. He didn't need to notice me anymore. Or maybe he never did.
["I see. Well, I hope the alcohol in your system hasn't impaired your ability to fight." ]
["Oh, don't worry, it 'as. But I guess I don't really care thaaat much."]
["Oh?"]
["Yeah, I can drop off the face of the earth, an' the one person I would wan' ta care the most wouldn't bat an eye.] he wouldn't need to. He had someone else.
Not me.
X End of Record
"What a tragic past, I'm sorry," the demon said, staring down at Ronald's limp, bleeding, and lifeless form. "I was not lying when I said I understand how you feel. Now," he started as he lifted up the blond and brown haired shinigami's death scythe once more, "as much as I hate to do so, I shall make sure you do not get up again,"
"So it was a demon," a voice called from overhead, swiftly dropping to the ground in a fluid motion. Alexander looked at the man in surprise before a smile graced his lips.
"You must be William T. Spears," he said, smile widening at the questionable look he received from said man.
"I do not believe we met, so how is it you know my name?" William asked. Alexander chuckled.
"I saw you on your friend's cinematic record," the demon replied, stepping off to the side to reveal the lifeless form of Ronald Knox, lying on his stomach, head turned towards the wall. William's eyes widened as he quickly regained his composure and turned back towards the demon.
"Is he…" he started calmly as the demon shook his head.
"No, it was merely slightly more than a graze, but with his death scythe so the wound is a little more fatal."
"I see," William said, adjusting his glasses with his death scythe.
"He was a surprisingly strong opponent, to say the least. I did not expect as much when I first saw him, drunk and stumbling about. He failed to wield his scythe properly as well. But he managed to get through a very damaging hit and land a hard blow upon me, and for that I commend him." William looked around the area, the only things he could make out were the things that were illuminated by the moon that showed over the top of the buildings. The first thing he noticed was all the blood, and the second was the form of a woman several feet ahead.
"So this was where I heard the scream originate from?" he asked, already knowing the answer. The demon nodded.
"Yes, I was feeding upon a prostitute that happened to be passing by."
"I see," William said again, voice unusually level. Every fiber of his being was screaming out to rip the demon to shreds, to pay him back for what he did to Ronald.
Ronald… William thought as he looked back over to his subordinate, who looked much like the people did after he reaped them, lying in a puddle of blood. He had to get him out of here before he died. Panic, an emotion that William hadn't felt since his Academy days, began flooding in to him. No, Ronald Knox couldn't die. He wouldn't let him.
"Pardon me, but I have no interest in fighting with you. I am just going to take my employee back and leave, if you do not mind." William said through gritted teeth. He didn't have time to fight, as much as he wanted to. He needed to save Ronald, even if that meant hunting his attacker down on a different day.
"I do not mind one bit." The demon smiled. "I have other engagements, and I have a feeling that if I fight you now in my current state I shall not win." He stepped back over to Ronald. "However, I wish to do one more thing before I take my leave," he said, getting down on one knee and gently turning the nearly dead shinigami over, cradling him halfway in his arms.
"What do you plan on doing?" William asked, positioning his death scythe to strike Alexander at any moment.
"Please, calm yourself, I have too much respect for this shinigami to kill him right now," the demon answered, bending down and pressing his lips down gently on Ronald's. William froze with shock at the sight, brain uncomprehending what was going on. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds before Alexander broke it, but the raven haired shinigami felt like he was frozen stiff for hours.
"What is the meaning of this?" William asked, sending his death scythe out to attack the demon. Alexander smiled and set Ronald down gently, barely dodging the clippers.
"It was nothing really, so I bid you farewell for now," he smiled, jumping up onto the top of a building. "I hope we meet again, Ronald Knox," he purred before he disappeared into the night. William immediately rushed over to his fallen comrade, ignoring the will to go back and beat the demon back into hell for nearly killing then violating his employee in such a manner. Once he saw the slow, labored breathing of the younger man, all of those thoughts disappeared and the only thing that was on William's mind right now was saving his treasured employee.
"Ronald…" William said, shaking the blond gently. There was a hole that appeared slightly healed that was on the top left of his chest, and three heavily bleeding slash marks, obviously from his death scythe, that showed through his white dress coat. His dark brown vest was ripped open by the attack. "Ronald Knox, wake up," There was no answer, which made William feel panicked even more. He needed to get Ronald to the infirmary at the London Dispatch building. Not even thinking twice about the blood, William placed Ronald on his back like an adult would a toddler and held him there. "Ronald, if you can hear me, I know this may be hard but I need you to hold onto me." It would have been easier to just hold him in his arms, but he had two death scythes to hold while he teleported back to the office. It was times like these that William cursed the woman that approved Ronald's overly large death scythe.
"S-sen…pai…" William heard the familiar voice muffled by the shoulder he was leaning his head on.
"It is okay now, I am going to take you to the infirmary. You shall be fine,"
"My…fault…" Ronald breathed silently. "Sorry…I…so…sorry…" William could feel his junior tremble in his arms.
"Calm yourself, I believe this is all my fault," William sighed, voice soft. "I realize now that you were already at your limit, and I merely pushed you further, causing you to leave work. So for that…I should be the one to say sorry." Ronald was awake now, and that was good. William had read somewhere that it's always best for a severely injured person to stay awake, lest they slip into a coma or something. He needed to keep Ronald awake. "I am having trouble grasping something, however." William started to keep the conversation moving. "Why have you been so depressed lately? Why have you been drinking every night, and then fighting a demon in a drunken state, knowing full well you could get yourself killed?" He walked over to Ronald's death scythe and grabbed it by the handle.
"I…" Ronald started, wrapping his arms tightly around William's neck. His eyes were half lidded, tired and wanting nothing more than to sleep forever. "I…wanted…you to notice me." William froze at the silent response, turning his head to try to get a look at the injured shinigami. Had he really heard correctly?
"You said you wanted me to notice you?" he asked, unsure if he was hearing things correctly. He felt Ronald slowly nod his head in response. "But…why?" William slowly asked, genuinely confused. A few moments of silence passed, and for a second, the raven haired shinigami thought his subordinate had fallen unconscious again. But sure enough, the younger reaper stirred and mumbled an answer.
"I…wanted you to like me." He admitted. Within the next few seconds, they were teleported inside the infirmary at the work place, startling all of the nurses who, after a few seconds of staring at the two, immediately began bustling about Ronald, shouting orders to each other and carefully removing him from William's back and placing him on one of the beds.
"Oh my god, what happened to Ronald?" William heard a familiar shout as he turned to see Alan sitting on one of the beds as the nurse that was giving him his usual check up left to go help the others with the youngest shinigami. William, however, paid him no heed as he merely thought back to what Ronald had told him seconds before.
"I…wanted you to like me."
"William?" Alan asked again, shaking his superior out of his trance.
"Yes?" he asked, looking over at the brunet.
"That the heck happened to Ronald?" he shouted pointing over at the blond and brunet that laid, now unconscious, once white bed that now had red all over it.
"A demon had attacked him when I found him. He used his death scythe so that he could kill him." Alan gasped.
"Where? Why? How?" Alan would have kept on asking questions but William threw a hand over his mouth.
"I shall tell everyone here soon, but not now, for I am tired and I do not think Ronald Knox is in any position to answer questions." Alan nodded simply as William sighed and removed his hand, proceeding to walk out of the room.
William was angry with himself.
It had been over a week since that night when William found Ronald an inch from death, and then heard the blond's confession. The part that angered him was that he panicked. When Ronald confessed to him, he immediately transported them to the infirmary, not because he knew the younger reaper desperately needed it, but because he didn't know how to reply to him. William was horrible with expressing his feelings, so he always kept things stoic and simple. He never really had to deal with them in the past besides with Grell, and that was easy. With Ronald, it was different. He wasn't sure quite how he felt about the younger man, and that's what scared him. But then he remembered when he first met the younger reaper at the Shinigami Academy, then when he was sent to the London Division, and ever since he always tried his best to act as a mentor to the party loving male.
I wonder when things started to change, he thought as he remembered the first day the blond came in looking worse then he usually did. His hair a mess, clothes disheveled, and for the first time, a frown on his face. He felt guilty looking at him like that, and when he walked by the younger male he ignored him. He felt like he failed him. And every day after that Ronald would come in looking worse and worse, but he couldn't say anything to him. The others were right; he did treat Ronald worse than them. He let his anger at himself for letting Ronald down get the better of him. And then when he found him so close to death…
"Mr. Spears," came a soft voice from beside him. William shook his head to clear his mind and looked down at the nurse that had said his name. "Mr. Knox is allowed to have visitors today, you know, so if you would like you can go see him. I believe some others just left."
"Thank you," William nodded, proceeding to walk down the hall to the infirmary. He stepped into the bright room and towards one of the smaller rooms where Ronald was being held. Reaching for the door handle, William hesitated before grasping it and opening it up. Looking across the room, the raven haired shinigami spotted the blond sitting on his bed, dangling his legs over the side. He wore black pajama pants and a white button up shirt that was open, revealing his chest that was almost completely wrapped in white bandages. Ronald looked up at him, thick rimmed boyish glasses removed and resting on the night stand beside the bed. His emerald eyes were tired, and the smile that William craved to see was nowhere to be found.
"Hello," Ronald greeted, pointing to a chair that sat across from him and motioning for his superior to sit down. William wordlessly obliged.
Minutes passed and neither male said anything. The atmosphere could be cut with a knife.
"William…senpai…I am so sorry," Ronald finally said, breaking the silence. "I was upset, I left work to go drinking and make myself feel better, and I caused you trouble. I was foolish, I—"
"Ronald," William said sharply, signaling the male to be quiet. "I believe we have been over this already. It is not your fault, I am entirely to blame. And for that, I am sorry." Ronald looked at his boss, a look of sadness on his face. "Do not look at me that way," William sighed.
"What?" Ronald asked. "Should I be looking happy about all of this?" His voice was raised and he was glaring at the man across from him. Within a few seconds, however, his glare softened and he sat back down. "I…just wanted you to notice me…" he said softly. "I was willing to put my life in danger, just so you would look my way once more. I was selfish and wrong."
"Ronald," William sighed again. "I have always noticed you—"
"I always thought that too until the day I saw you with Grell-senpai in your office. You were…kissing. And I went drinking that night and the next day and the days after that you ignored me. I thought you were disgusted with me…" William stared wide eyed at the slightly shorter male in front of him. His face was a very dark shade of red from embarrassment. William still thought back to the day before Ronald began drinking. Grell came into his office…but they didn't kiss!
"We did not kiss," William said, causing Ronald to look at him with a confused look. "He was having me look at a spot on his glasses to see if he should go get them repaired. He did try a few things, but needless to say I put an end to it and sent him on his way."
"I-I see…" Ronald said, mentally choking himself for the misunderstanding. "I am so stupid…"
"Stop that!" William shouted. "Stop bringing yourself down this instant." Ronald went wide eyed.
"But this just proves everything was my fault! I went out drinking out of jealousy because I was nosy and formed a misunderstanding, and now you know how I feel and…" he stopped, throwing his head in his hands. William was at a loss of what to do. He never had to deal with such an emotionally unstable person before.
So he did the first thing he could think of.
Ronald felt Williams arms wrap around his body and looked up in disbelief. William was hugging him!
"Ronald…" William breathed in the younger shinigami's ear. "When I saw you the next day after the incident with Grell Sutcliff, I could not meet your gaze because I felt like I failed you. Something was wrong and I failed to prevent it. And when you continued to get worse, I continued to get angry at myself. And all of the times I seemed angry at you, it was because I was channeling the anger I felt for myself onto you."
"Sen…pai…?" Ronald started when William continued.
"I was confused, at first, as to why I cared so much. I began to wonder when everything changed. But when I overheard the way the two women in the tavern were talking about you I felt posessive, and then when you were so close to death and that demon kissed you I felt jealous, and finally when I heard you confess to me and time seemed to freeze, it all clicked into place. It took all of those things but I finally understood. I think…I might return your feelings." Ronald pulled away from his superior and looked at him with a look of plain shock and disbelief. William gave a small smile to the younger male and leaned in, gently placing his lips onto his employee's. Inside, his heart was racing. Everything he said and was doing, it sounded and felt so weird coming from him, yet so right.
After a few seconds, William pulled back, eyeing the bright blush on Ronald's face.
"W-wow… William-senpai…" Ronald breathed looking down at his hands in his lap. William raised an eyebrow at the younger male.
"Hmm?" he asked. Did he do something wrong? Slowly, Ronald looked up, a genuine smile on his face, the same smile he gave William the day he was sent to the London Dispatch Department.
"Thanks," he grinned. William gave another soft smile.
"My pleasure," he said.