So I'm going back through the story and revising it, so hopefully it will read more smoothly and have a little more action in it than before. It will be more or less the same, with some lengthening of some scenes and additions of others for plot reasons (starting in ch. 2, I believe). I am also taking into consideration the manga, meaning there will be mentions of the Campania arc and perhaps others.
It is rated M for the suggestiveness of the first two chapters (which could still be considered a story on its own), as well as for some future chapters.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Kuroshitsuji.
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It was a slow evening in London. In fact, it was a rather boring one at that, according to the lone figure that walked along its deserted streets. The city itself never really interested him all that much, nor did the people wandering about its narrow streets. The dark-clad butler was the only being in the area for the moment, and that suited him just fine. It made traveling infinitely easier, instead of using a carriage to get around. Horses were slow to travel by. Sebastian smiled to himself. His way was much quicker and quite a bit easier.
The demon was returning from his errand of getting medicine for Ciel, who was sick. The boy had all but ordered him out of the mansion before dinner, with the blunt statement against the idea of Sebastian trying to spoon feed him again. The demonic butler smiled to himself as he navigated the road. The flustered look on his young master's face had been absolutely priceless.
Sebastian stared at nothing in particular as he headed back in the direction of the mansion. His mind was distracted, as he pondered the implications of being allowed out of the manor without Ciel. Sebastian supposed that with such specific orders (to get the medicine and return) that it wasn't as if Sebastian could do anything on his own, since the order left little time for any distractions. There was a slight exhalation of breath from the musing demon. With Ciel sick, Sebastian had nothing better to do other than chores (the other servants were slacking, again) and go on the occasional errand. He was, quite frankly, bored out of his mind. Nothing interesting had happened in the past month and a half, as his young master had not been called away to investigate anything for the queen...
"Meow."
Sebastian stopped walking abruptly, and glanced down at the ground to where a gray cat was staring up at him. Sebastian and the cat stared at one another, before Sebastian dropped down to his knees and scooped the cat up, medicine bag forgotten on the ground next to him, "Ahh...so beautiful, so graceful." Sebastian murmured softly, as he squeezed one of the cat's paws gently. The demonic butler sighed wistfully at the squirming animal in his grasp and wondered if he could possibly get the cat into the mansion without Ciel noticing.
It would be a pity to leave such a graceful creature all alone in the deserted streets of London.
X-x
Grell Sutcliff was not a happy reaper. Not only had he managed to raise William T. Spears ire early in the morning, but he had managed to do so in front of a score of other reapers. Grell rubbed one hand ruefully over the back of his head, wincing ever so slightly. All he had been trying to do was show his gratitude to Will for letting him have a day off last week. William, however, had been so scare in the office that the only place Grell could corner him was the entrance to headquarters. The red head really didn't believe that he should have gotten hit over the head with William's deathscythe for merely trying to thank the other man.
Grell dropped his hand down to his side and sighed. Well, maybe if he hadn't run a hand along the dark haired reaper's lower back and slipped a finger of his other hand down his suit. At the time the whoops and wolf whistles from those gathered had entertained Grell, and William had looked ever so dashing with a rumpled suit and mussed up hair from the effort of trying to fend him off. The aftermath, however, hadn't been quite so fun. Several swats to the head and a load of overtime was what Grell received for being too forward when a simple 'thank you' would have sufficed, in William's opinion.
Grell sighed again gloomily, and took stock of his surroundings. Here he was, in London, after a full day of soul reapings. He was exhausted, but knew he would have to return to headquarters soon. William had practically demanded he come back and prove that he had done his work for the day. Grell ran a hand through his hair slowly, a faint smile crossing his lips. Perhaps another thank you in William's office might make him rethink having the red head come in and show his completed work. That would allow Grell to have evenings to himself work free, and allow him time to pursue other interests.
Like one Sebastian Michaelis.
Grell shivered at the thought of the demonic butler. Now there was another cold man, so serious about his little display of playing the perfect butler. But the red headed reaper was incredibly curious to see another side of Sebastian. The demon side, specifically. Grell had seen a little bit of it from the times they had crossed paths. Like on the Campania. Grell swooned a little at the memory of a wet Sebastian, and sighed wistfully. It was quite a shame that the ship had been sinking, and that Undertaker had interfered. Grell had wanted to play with the butler for a little longer.
Grell paused mid step before digging out a pocket watch and checking the time. He still had time before he was expected back at headquarters, so maybe he'd go look for Sebastian and play for a little to get the stress of the day out. That sounded like an interesting diversion, Grell decided, as he snapped the pocket watch shut and stowed it away. Pawing at his hair self-consciously, the reaper suddenly came to an abrupt halt, hardly daring to believe eyes. Sebastian was right there, and fawning away over a filthy little purring cat. Grell's lips stretched into a toothy, pleased grin.
This evening was starting to turn out better than the rest of the day put together.
X-x
Sebastian froze in the process of snuggling the cat closer to his body and let out a soft breath of irritation. He had just sensed something that unfortunately meant he needed to not be distracted. Sebastian reluctantly released the cat, and watched longingly as it ran off. It had been such a beauty, too. Sebastian stood up smoothly, tugging his gloves into place as a way to distract himself from the upcoming unpleasant conversation he was sure to have. It was quite unfortunate that that thing would be the one to interrupt him. Sebastian almost wished he hadn't thought that there was nothing to do lately. The reason for this? Impending doom was approaching him at a rather fast pace, and had Sebastian not been the level headed demon that he was, he might have been a little more concerned.
Grell Sutcliff had spotted him, and the redheaded shinigami was making a direct beeline for him with a wide smile on his face. The look alone was enough to make the dark haired demon believe that the reaper had something truly devious in mind. Something that Sebastian had no desire to ever participate in with the reaper.
Sebastian braced himself for an onslaught of Grell's flirtations, but they never came. Sebastian cast a look in the reaper's direction, and saw that the other had slowed his approach. The demon blinked. That wasn't what Sebastian had expected to happen at all. A leaping Grell was easy enough to deal with, as Sebastian would have merely side stepped him. The dark clad butler was even more taken aback with what happened next. Sebastian watched in amazed silence as Grell suddenly came to a complete halt, as though he had just remembered something. Grell's smile quickly faded, turning into a disappointed frown. He turned away from the baffled demon, and began to walk in the opposite direction with a dejected exhale of breath.
Sebastian was utterly perplexed. What had just happened? It was unlike the shinigami to leave without even trying anything. The scenario was almost perfect for Grell to attempt to hang all over him lewdly and spout off nauseating romantic lines. And to do so with no regard to how uncomfortable the reaper's close proximity was to him, or how his words nearly made Sebastian's skin crawl. After all, the demon was not used to advances being made on him, as the seducing would be something he might do as a means to get information. Or to do so for the hell of it, just to have the pleasure of feeling in control.
Watching the redhead walk away, Sebastian decided on a whim to follow Grell. For some odd reason, the demon wanted to know why the reaper hadn't tried to jump him or bother him, like he normally was prone to do. It had sure looked like Grell had wanted to launch into a nauseating declaration of love involving Sebastian, or slide in close to press up against him. Said demon shook his head. Sebastian knew he should have just been glad that Grell had decided to leave him alone for once, but the other had gotten him curious. Sebastian smiled faintly. Perhaps because he was so bored he found the idea of wrangling answers out of a shinigami to be desirable to the mediocre chores that were sure to be waiting for him back at the manor.
Sebastian started after the reaper's retreating form, as he figured his sick young master would call if he needed him. This was rather unlikely based on the state Ciel had been in. It was more likely that he would sleep until morning, and Sebastian would be quite finished with this little detour by that point in time. After all, Ciel hadn't specifically stated when he had to return from his errand. Sebastian's eyes gleamed a little more brightly as he started to move at a faster pace. The idea of chasing quarry was quite appealing, since a reaper was much quicker than any human could ever hope to be. Sebastian only hoped Grell would actually run. It wouldn't be any fun otherwise if the chase was cut short.
X-x
Grell hoped that he could get out of range of Sebastian before William decided to come to London and locate him, as he was supposed to have been to back at work by now. The red headed reaper had been mistaken about the time, and therefore hadn't realized he had no time to dally. Grell had misread his pocket watch, and while he would have loved to stay and chat with Sebastian, (read: attack with his deathscythe) he didn't want to get scolded by William again. After all, Grell did recall that he had been told numerous times to stay away from the demon. Grell was positive that William would be more than happy to give him even more overtime than he had today to keep him busy.
Sensing something behind him, Grell tilted his head to one side, and caught sight Sebastian. Why was the butler following him? Grell almost turned around to tempt fate, but after catching sight of the rather predatory gleam in the demon's eyes, Grell decided to be cautious instead. Without warning, the red headed reaper broke into a run, hopping onto a roof and then racing down an alley, in the hopes of throwing Sebastian off his trail.
Sebastian saw that Grell started to run. Sebastian blinked. What an interesting reaction. The demonic butler had half expected to see Grell throw himself at him once he realized he was being followed. Grell had more self-control than he had expected. Sebastian gave chase, thinking that this was an interesting development. Fleeing prey made it all the more exciting, and Sebastian wondered whether Grell knew that. He should have an inkling, at the very least. Although...it didn't really matter at this point, since the events were already in motion. Sebastian could have easily caught up the reaper, to have a little 'chat' and then be on his way. However, with the opportunity of exerting himself more than usual, Sebastian allowed himself to focus on the chase and the sudden fear coming from the shinigami. It was pleasant, in a way, to focus on an instinct, and not have to think about anything else.
Sebastian cut ahead of the shinigami, and blocked his passage with a disturbingly pleasant smile, "Mr. Grell, I do believe you are acting out of sorts. Perhaps you are to be working and dealing with a large number of souls this evening, and you aren't supposed to talk about it?"
Grell skidded to a halt, and looked to be in the process of retorting, when he ended up tsking instead and leaping onto the roof of the nearest building.
Still wearing a pleasant smile, Sebastian took to the roofs after him with hardly any effort at all. The demon was actually enjoying popping out of random alleyways and streets, cutting off Grell's attempts to throw him off.
There were no words exchanged after a while, only looks, and the looks that Grell could make out were very ominous to him. It was almost as if Sebastian was playing with him, but that couldn't be. Sebastian wouldn't waste his time like this. Grell scowled a little as he dodged down another alley. Really, what was going on in that demon's mind?
The chase took them throughout most of London at a breakneck speed, Grell becoming more and more desperate in his attempts to ditch Sebastian, while the demon kept up with infuriating ease.
Sebastian found it almost entertaining that Grell thought he could escape so easily. If he really tried, the red headed reaper wouldn't be fleeing as he had been for the past two hours.
Grell, meanwhile, was growing more and more frustrated. No matter where he went, whether it was dodging around or over buildings, alleys and even racing over rooftops, he still couldn't get Sebastian to stop following after him...and the demon kept getting closer. Grell knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. Sebastian was steadily gaining on him, and Grell did know, unbeknownst to Sebastian, that the demonic butler could easily catch him whenever he wanted to do so. Right now, it seemed like Sebastian was amusing himself by prolonging the chase. Grell hoped that Sebastian would end it soon. Even shinigami could get tired, and despite the warnings he had received (mostly from William) Grell was curious as to why Sebastian was bothering to go after him. It was incredibly tempting to just stop and turn around, to see what would happen.
Grell shook his head lightly. He may have tried that, if it weren't for the fact that Sebastian seemed to be very into the pursuit. The bits of language issuing from Sebastian now and then were most definitely not in English, and that made Grell worry that Sebastian didn't have all of his senses at the moment. The red head could be badly injured if Sebastian thought he was prey or something. Grell focused solely on running, and tried to push himself to go even faster. At this point, he wasn't even really paying attention to where he was going. Because of this, Grell hadn't realized that he had entered the wooded area around the Phantomhive mansion within the past few minutes. He was only focused on getting away from Sebastian, and any potential harm the demonic butler may cause due to the chase.
The thrill of the chase had worn down by now, especially since the reaper had slowed down significantly. Sebastian tired of it soon after, once he realized Grell was within easy reach for the past half hour, and the demon's thoughts came back to him. Sebastian suddenly let out a despairing sound of displeasure. He had left the medicine lying back on the ground in London. Meaning he would have to go back to retrieve it. Sebastian turned his eyes to the fleeing shinigami's back. He would have time for that when he was finished with the reaper. He was stopping this pitiful attempt at escape, now. Sebastian increased his speed, and lunged forward at the redhead running before him.
Grell felt hands grab either of his arms from behind, and let out a cry of surprise as Sebastian stopped him by roughly pinning him up against a nearby tree. Grell had thought that Sebastian would trip him or somehow get him pinned to the ground in some painful way. After all, Sebastian seemed to have made it quite clear that he didn't actually want to touch him, for whatever reason. Feeling Sebastian's hands squeezing either of his wrists tightly made Grell grin a little against the tree. This was better, to be restrained like this, but it made Grell a little nervous as to what the demon was up to.
Heavy breathing could be heard for a few moments as Sebastian adjusted his grip on the other, keeping Grell pressed up against the tree to prevent him from escaping. The mixture of fear and now excitement coming from the shinigami was doing interesting things to Sebastian, but the demon ignored the feeling for the moment. He was a butler of the Phantomhive manor, and therefore it would be in bad taste for him to be unable to ignore any carnal feelings. He was on the job, so to speak. Instead, Sebastian focused on his original intention of finding out why Grell hadn't bothered him and had instead decided to run away. The demonic butler also ignored, for the moment, the fact that it was not a very good reason to go chasing after the reaper. It was a rather stupid one, actually. Sebastian's grip tightened when he felt Grell trying to discreetly wriggle out of his grasp. The demon waited patiently until Grell had ceased struggling to speak.
"I'm going to cut the formalities and get to the point. Why did you run, when it looked as though you had other things in mind?" Sebastian questioned pleasantly. He could only hope that Grell didn't realize that it was a pointless reason to go so far as chasing him all over London. It could cause trouble for him in the future should the two cross paths again.
Grell went limp against the tree, once he realized it was useless to struggle. Sebastian had an iron grip, and it wasn't probable that he would be able to break free easily. Grell was silent for a moment, before he seemed to come to some internal decision. A thought had occurred to him, and while Grell didn't think it would work on Sebastian, the red head decided it was worth a try.
"Please...let go...leave me alone." Oh, it was far too easy for Grell to make himself sound miserable. Must have been all the times he had tried to be pathetic in front of Will to try and get him to go easy on him (usually when he had messed up on a job). Unfortunately, William had grown far too used to the pathetic display, and had therefore become immune to it. Grell smiled faintly. Now all he had to do was wait and see how Sebastian would respond.
Sebastian was surprised at the quiet, subdued voice that had issued from the trapped reaper. Then, he became a tad bit annoyed. Why did Grell want to be away from him all of a sudden, when he would normally be pestering him nonstop whenever he saw him? Why stop now? Something was going on, and Sebastian wanted to know what it was. Sebastian kept Grell pinned firmly against the tree and queried in a softer tone, "Why should I leave you alone?" Sebastian heard a light sigh, and thought to ask in a more seductive way, though Sebastian was loathe to do so should it actually bring forth a response. While he was pondering the implications of doing such a thing was when Grell made his move.
The shinigami shoved himself away from the tree, which managed to throw Sebastian off balance, as he hadn't been expecting this and had been preoccupied with potential ways of gathering information.
Grell was amazed that he had caught Sebastian off guard, but took the moment he had gained to try and run. Perhaps if he could have enough time to make a portal and get through it, he could avoid Sebastian for now, at least until William got off his back about doing work on time. Sebastian's question hadn't really sunk in, as Grell had been more distracted with how close the demon had been to him. Grell felt a momentary rush at managing to outwit Sebastian, even though said demon recovered almost instantaneously.
Sebastian almost scowled with displeasure at being outwitted, albeit temporarily, by a reaper of all things, and reached forward. Sebastian seized the redhead before he could get too far, and, without thinking much of it, drew Grell up against his chest, looping one arm around the suddenly still reaper's waist, effectively trapping Grell's right arm.
Grell, knowing he had been caught, again, abruptly swung his left hand, thinking that he might be able to hit the other in the face and throw him off again. He needed time to sort out his whirling mind, and Sebastian suddenly becoming clingy rather startled him, and Grell didn't know what to make of it. It was what he had wanted to have happen, but it somehow seemed wrong to have it happen in this fashion. The swinging fist didn't have much force behind it, as Grell was actually becoming more and more curious about what Sebastian was doing. And why the demon was holding him the way he was. It seemed a bit too...intimate, and it was likely dangerous to be considering Sebastian's actions to be alluring. He was a demon, after all, and somehow Grell doubted that this was a prelude to sex. Rather disappointing, that. A little pain would be all right if he got to sleep with something as exotic as a demon.
Sebastian merely caught Grell's left hand with his own, stopping any attempt at retaliation. He was getting weary of the playing, and now merely wanted his questions to be answered, before the two could part ways, and forget this meeting ever occurred. At least, the demonic butler would try and put it out of his mind. He was currently unaware of the way Grell's thoughts were headed, and had he known, he would have been very displeased.
Grell whined unhappily at being stopped so easily. The night was not going the way he had thought it would. For one, Grell hadn't expected Sebastian to follow him, and keep on following him. The demon hadn't shown any interest in him before after all. Nor had Grell expected Sebastian to not resort to violence to catch him. And finally...Grell had not foreseen Sebastian holding him so close without any malicious intent, which was what Grell had expected when Sebastian had him fully restrained again. In fact, it seemed as though Sebastian was more intrigued than anything. That idea didn't make it any better at the moment, since Grell didn't know what Sebastian's intentions toward him were. Was the demon trying to lure him into a false sense of security? Grell tried to shift out of the other's grasp again.
Sebastian ignored Grell's discomfort as well as his poor attempt to sneak away, "Why are you so adamant on getting away from me tonight? It seems unlike you to do so. After all, you've made it quite clear in the past that you either want to bed with me or tear me to shreds with that deathscythe of yours. Or both, which would be hazardous to my health."
"Mmm, that's rather kinky of you to say, Sebastian. Maybe I'll consider it for future encounters." Grell grinned again, as he had heard the exasperation in the demon's voice, and he found it funny, for some reason.
"I believe I asked a question, Mr. Grell. I would very much like you to answer it, so we can both be on our way."
Grell went limp in Sebastian's grip at the demon's words. So, Sebastian just wanted information. He should have known that Sebastian wouldn't have gone after him for any other reason. It wasn't like Grell would have expected the demon to be interested in him in that way, but still...why did Sebastian even bother chasing after him to find out answers to such a simple question? There was a moment of silence, before Grell spoke, deciding that if he was going to succeed in avoiding a scolding from Will, he might as well tell Sebastian what he wanted to hear, "I was told that if I went to see you again, there would be consequences." That should be enough for Sebastian. No need to have to explain it. There wasn't much else to say, other than the fact that it was only William telling him this, and not any of the higher ups in the dispatch.
Sebastian was amused with the short reply and decided then and there that he actually wanted to play a bit longer. He was a very bored demon, after all. Sebastian supposed that could have been part of the reason why he chased after Grell in the first place. Sebastian rested his head on Grell's right shoulder, murmuring silkily near the ear, "I wouldn't think that consequences would stop you. After all, killing all of those prostitutes brought consequences, right? The idea of being punished didn't stop you then, so why would it now?" Sebastian let his hold on Grell's left hand loosen, giving the reaper the option to draw away, if he so chose. It was a false offer, of course, and Sebastian merely wanted to see if the reaper were in the mood for another chase. One that involved flying cutlery this time around.
Grell considered trying to escape at the blatant offer, but knew, on an instinctive level, that Sebastian wasn't done playing yet, and that the demon wasn't going to let him leave until he was through with him. Grell knew that if he broke free of the other's grasp, that he might actually come to bodily harm, and not the kind that he would have minded. Grell took a shuddering breath, not liking this cornered feeling in the least, and responded, "I...I don't want to test anyone's patience...especially not William's..." Since the dark haired man had been very irritated this morning, and it was imperative that Grell get back to work now. Two hours ago, in fact.
Now that he was in trouble for that, Grell thought perhaps he could get in a little deathscythe practice with Sebastian. After all, Grell wasn't some loose woman; he wasn't about to let a demon play around with him without a little struggle, of the violent kind. Grell smirked a little, before his lips thinned into a small frown. Grell really, really hoped William wasn't out looking for him tonight. It would be awkward, no matter what might happen between the him and the butler.
Sebastian declined saying anything in response other than to chuckle darkly. He loosened his right arm around Grell's waist, to allow his hand to travel up slowly and tug the striped ribbon the other wore loose. The demon let it drop to the ground dismissively in favor of reaching for the buttons of Grell's vest with both hands. Grell hadn't moved anywhere, perhaps because he hadn't been expecting to be undressed all of a sudden, out on the mansion's wooded grounds. Sebastian unbuttoned the first few buttons of Grell's vest and then the white dress shirt beneath it, his long, gloved fingers teasing the others' skin. Sebastian heard Grell's breath hitch in disbelief, and smiled to himself.
This night might prove to be interesting after all.
X-x-x-x-x-x-x
More or less the same chapter revised, but nearly 2,000 words longer. I'm still open to suggestions about ways to go with the pairing. Otherwise I'll wing it until the new chapters (Ch. 9 and on). With the added plot, and changes I made to the ending of the story, this might end up being around a 20 chapter story, give or take a few chapters. It all depends on how this revision goes, and if anyone has a particular thought on the potential romance. I do like writing Sebastian as a suave, seductive asshole who takes advantage of people, but that's just me.