A/N: I'll be doing all 100 Themes but I'm not sure how long it'll take me. Each theme will be about one or more of the Shinigami, because I'm a fangirl like that. ^^ Either comment here or on my deviantART account (that's the one I check most often).

Theme 1: Introduction

"Mr. Slingby."

Eric picked his head up, catching sight of his supervisor standing at his office door. The man did not look happy.

"Mr. Spears." He was always careful when he acknowledged him. He quickly pushed Bruce (the flying staple-remover and black binder clip dragon he'd been making) into his open desk drawer. It was then that he caught sight of something near William's left side. As though reading his mind, the Reaper stepped to the side, nearly pulling the younger man beside him over.

"This is Alan Humphries," William told him, looking down at the man currently clinging to his jacket sleeve.

"Wow," Eric stood slowly, afraid he'd frighten him, and asked, "What happened to him?" It seemed like a harsh question but Eric had never really been one to think before he spoke. It was an annoying trait that William had only recently gotten used to. Granted, he couldn't fault him much for it this time. In all honesty, it was a completely justified question. This kid, Alan, was a wreck.

Ripped, blood-stained clothes clung to his dangerously thin frame, dark hair hung in now-matted strings against high cheekbones, setting off the brilliant green of his eyes. Eric blinked, resisting the urge to shake his head. "He's…"

"One of us." William finished for him. "He's quite fortunate, actually. Who's to say what would've happened to him if he'd been allowed to simply go through the system like the others."

"Like the others…sir?" Eric didn't care for the way he'd said that.

William looked him straight in the eyes then, something the man hardly ever did. "His schoolmates."

Eric froze. A recent slaying at a London University had thrown the office into chaos. The death count wasn't overly high but it was still substantial the last time he'd checked it. All of that being caused by a single human was…unheard of. "That," Eric started, then swallowed, "That was him?"
\

William reached up and pried Alan's hands from his sleeve. "Yes, and until we can figure out a more permanent arrangement, you'll be looking after him."

Eric did shake his head then. Had William finally lost his mind? "Sir…"

"We'll bring him a new suit within the hour." William said, turning to leave. He paused and gently pushed Alan back to sit in the chair just inside the door. The man bounced slightly as he sat down. It didn't seem like he knew where he was.

"William," Eric said more sharply than he'd really meant to. "You can't just leave him with me."

"I can and I am." William placed a hand on the door frame, blocking Eric from trying to follow him. "He's in shock right now, Slingby. When he recovers, he'll have a lot of questions. I need him with someone I know can answer them."

Eric looked back at the frail man in the chair to his right. Alan's eyes were blank and fixed on a single spot on the floor in front of him, as though he wasn't really seeing anything. His right arm was hanging over the armrest as if there were no bones in it at all. He still didn't like the idea but the man probably wasn't much of a threat in his current state.

"Fine." Eric sighed. "Just promise me you'll get him some actual help. Looks like he needs it."

"Our staff psychologist will see him tomorrow." William dropped his hand and walked away.

Eric watched him leave then shut the door carefully. When Alan didn't react to the sound, he crouched down by the chair. He'd seen people in far worse shape before and had been a bit cold with them. It was just how he was, he'd guessed, but something about this kid made him want to be a little more careful. After all, he couldn't be much older than 17.

"Hey," he said gently. "I'm Eric."

Alan blinked slowly and shifted his gaze to the blonde Shinigami crouched at his side. He didn't trust his voice enough to speak yet but he inclined his head a bit to show he understood.

"You'll be fine, kid." Eric smiled as he stood and started back to his desk. He doubted Alan was in the mood to talk much. He'd only taken half a step when a hand closed firmly around his wrist. Eric turned, catching Alan's gaze. The look in his eyes reminded him of a lost puppy hoping his new owner wouldn't kick him like the old one did.

"Geez…" Eric sighed and rubbed at the back of his head with his free hand. He'd never been good with emotional situations. He stepped closer to Alan and crouched back down, letting the man throw his arms around him. Eric tensed at the sudden contact then relaxed and wrapped his arms around Alan's ribcage. He felt cold to the touch and he was starting to shake.

"I-I…didn't mean to hurt him." Alan's breath hitched and he pressed his forehead against Eric's shoulder. He sounded very weak. "I don't know what happened."

You slashed his throat open. Eric wanted to remind him of that but stopped himself. For some reason, Alan struck him as a perfectionist and people like that (when they did snap) tended to block out the memory.

And could he really blame him? There was no way the man could handle a job like this with that memory on his mind every time he went out. Eric stayed crouched by him, letting him shake and cry as the shock wore off.

Once he'd recovered, William would handle where he was placed in the division and Eric probably wouldn't see him much after that. For some reason, the thought of leaving the youngest Shinigami they'd had to date alone bothered him. Maybe…maybe he should ask William if he could look after him. Just for a few days, to make sure he'd be okay.

Yeah. That sounded like a good idea.

"Hey," Eric caught him by the upper arms and gently pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "You'll be just fine."

Alan rested his hands on Eric's arms, looking back at him. He seemed so sure of that. "You think?" he asked, voice shaking slightly.

"Sure. Everyone here's real cool. And I'll be lookin' out for ya." He winked, smiling and feeling strangely at ease.

Alan ducked his head, trying to hide the fact that he was smiling faintly. He was still shaking, everything ached and he still wasn't sure what had happened or even where he was…but Eric seemed so calm and sure that everything would turn out fine.

For possibly the first time in his life, he felt safe.

A/N: Well, here's the first one. It's not easy to write for these two, especially early on in their careers. But…well, here it is.