AN: I just wanted to apologize, I've been dealing with a lot this week, and it's impacted my ability to get this chapter out. I've lost information not once, but TWICE for this chapter so far T.T My computer died, I'm sick and exhausted, and I can only hope that I please someone with the chapter. So please, read and review~
Dreamscape
Chapter Two: Unexpected Tea Party
Alois swung at the demon before him, striking her across the face and leaving a quickly darkening red mark to mar her skin. The blond ignored the woman's gasp, after all, she should know better by now, right?
"Don't you touch me! I want Claude to dress me, not you! Go get Claude!" Alois demanded as his fists shook in anger at his sides.
Hannah gave a quick nod and backed away from the child before she spun and left the room. The boy stared after her, rage swirling just below the surface. No matter how many times he had told her over the past three years, Hannah just didn't understand that Alois wanted nothing to do with her. Her meek look, her tender touches…
Some would call it heaven. Some would call it love. He called it obsessive and unwanted. The only reason that Hannah had been invited to stay in the mansion was because of Claude. The demon had assured him that it would be in his best interest to take in the Hannah and her three followers. The lot had certainly earned their keep in the years since, but Hannah was always at his side, persistent and relentless.
While Claude would only tell bitter truths, Hannah would only tell pretty lies. She would whisper of her love for him, even going as far as allowing him to strike her like some untamed pet. Her weakness was disgusting.
The door to his bedroom opened, and the boy turned excitedly to see Claude enter the room. The man held his normally stoic look, golden eyes fixing on him with a look that Alois couldn't determine. He hated that he couldn't tell what the demon was thinking.
The demon regarded him with a slight nod and quickly set to work on dressing the blond. 'His emotions, his feelings, his thoughts… all these things he keeps secret from me. I love him. I hate him.' The boy thought to himself, anger swirling.
Alois kicked a leg out, striking the demon in the chest with the heeled boot that Claude had just put on him. He dug the heel into the man's soft, fleshy body as he knocked the demon to the ground. He silently hoped that he had hurt Claude. He hoped the demon was feeling even a fraction of the pain that he, himself was feeling.
The demon's inhuman, yellow eyes locked with his own, and Alois had the urge to laugh. Claude would deny it, but the blond knew he had made the man upset. A giddy laugh broke though as he stared at the demon on the ground, looking like some house hold pet.
"Ahahaha! Claude, you look like such a fool! Doesn't that make you mad?" Alois questioned the demon as he picked himself up from the floor.
The boy crossed his legs and leaned back on the bed, relying on his arms to support him as he watched the expressionless demon standing before him. The other man ran a hand through his hair before moving to adjust his glasses.
"No." Claude replied, his voice steady and firm.
His giggled stopped, and the blond felt a cold rage come over him at the demon's reply. Of course Claude would deny it. There was nothing he hated worse. A knocking on the large oak door of the mansion drew both his and Claude's attention a moment later.
"Please excuse me, your Highness. I will go see who is at the door." The demon said.
The blond gave a nod, dismissing the demon who quickly set out towards the front door. Curiosity filled the young boy. They certainly hadn't been expecting any visitors today, and he had no one who would care enough to make time to visit him.
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on his bedroom door. Bidding the person outside to enter, Alois watched as Claude opened the door and stepped into the room.
"Grell Sutcliff is here to see you. Would you like me to allow him inside, or should I turn him away?" Claude questioned, but Alois could tell by the man's slight smirk he already knew the answer that the blond would give.
"He came? He really came?" Alois whispered to himself in surprise. "Let him in Claude! No, I'll let him in! You go make some tea! We'll be in the library for when it's finished!" The boy cried out as he ran past Claude to the door.
The blond ran down the hallway and up to the door, eagerly pulling it open to reveal the waiting red head. Grell stood a few feet away, looking at the roses of the front garden with a small smile on his face. Alois made his way to the reaper's side, and was rewarded with a smile from the red head.
"Red roses are my favorite~!" Grell coo'd as he reached out to caress the flower's soft petals. "Red is such a passionate color with so many meanings. Red is the color of fire and blood, energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love~! A perfect color for myself."
Alois stared at the red headed reaper in silence. He had never heard someone describe them self by color before. Then again, he had never met anyone like Grell before.
"I wonder what color would represent me?" The blond wondered aloud.
As the red head's attention turned from the flower to himself, the boy shifted uneasily. Acidic green eyes studied him and the reaper seemed to be lost in thought, seriously considering what would best represent the child.
"Dark purple would be best for you. A mixture of a passionate red and a loyal blue. I can see it all in your eyes, sadness and gloom, frustration… Everything that color represents." The red head said as he walked away from the garden and towards the front door. "Lead the way~!"
Alois stood stunned. No one had ever seen so much in him so quickly. Most would look at him and see the face of a smiling child who had been though a lot, but nothing more. No one had ever taken the time to see the pain that still lingered, the heart ache and the hurt that still shattered his heart. All of this, and the reaper knew almost nothing about him.
Running forward, Alois caught Grell's gloved hand in his own and gave the reaper a large smile before dragging the man into the house. The reaper gave a surprised yelp at the child's enthusiasm, but followed behind.
The blond stopped in front of a door a few minutes later, pushing it open to reveal an extensive library filled with books. The room had a warm, cozy feel to it, and the pair quickly made their way into the room. A pair of plush chairs stood on the far side of the room, and Alois let go of the reaper's hand as he took a seat.
"I didn't think you'd come." Alois began, watching as the reaper sat down in the seat across from him.
"It's been nearly a month since you saved me on that night."
"Oh, we've been so~ overworked lately! There was a massacre a few towns over, and quite a few of our reaper's had to leave for that earlier in the month. The rest of us had to take on extra reaps, as well as extra paperwork." Grell's nose wrinkled slightly in disgust. "I hate paperwork. But things have finally settled down again, and I figured I would take you up on your wonderful offer~!"
"Oh, I heard about all that! Claude said it was a bunch of uncouth human's having a riot." The boy exclaimed, pleased that he had at least knew something on the subject.
Grell gave a nod.
"From what I've been told, a group large of travelers went though the town where a known cult is said to reside, and ignored the order to leave the town. Later that night, from what I heard, they were set on fire. Any survivors were captured and tortured to death. Humans are so messy." The reaper said with distaste.
The mention of flames brought back memories of his old village burning during a cold fall night. The dead had littered the ground all around, his brother included. He could still remember the stench of the burning corpses, and the lifeless look in his brother's eyes…
A soft touch to his shoulder drew Alois from his thoughts, and he swallowed harshly as his eyes met the golden eyes of his demonic butler. A cart holding a set of tea cups and a pot of tea rested next to the chair, and the blond couldn't help but wonder how long the memories of his dead brother had rendered him lost in thought.
"Today I've brought you Irish Breakfast tea, it's imported, a gift from her majesty after our work for her last month, and is said to be one of her favorites. I thought it would be appropriate for this occasion." Claude said as he poured the hot water though the strainer and into the tea cup.
'Yes, this is the perfect occasion for that, isn't it? I've been waiting for Grell to come visit for nearly a month now, after all. A special tea for a special guest.' Alois thought to himself as he accepted a cup of tea from his butler.
Claude made his way over to Grell and offered him a cup of tea, the red head happily accepting the cup.
"Is there anything else I can do for you, your Highness?" The demon questioned as he made his way back to the tea cart.
"No, just make sure the others don't interrupt us, and stay within hearing distance in case you're needed." Alois said, waving a hand in dismissal.
The blond watched his butler take his leave, tea cart in tow, and nearly laughed as the red head watched the man closely as he walked away, green eyes trained on his backside and a light blush on his face. The reaper's appreciative smile completed the look, and a small giggle escaped the boy.
"It's rude to stare, Ms. Sutcliff." The blond said with a light laugh, taking a sip of his tea.
"Just appreciating the sight, my darling Earl~!" The red head replied as he turned his attention back to the child before him. "Why you children all get all the good men, I'll never know." The man said with a pout.
"He's too cold, too uncaring. Appreciating the sight is about all anyone could do regarding him." Alois whispered as his eyes turned to the doorway Claude had left though. "But he's still mine, and no one can take him from me."
"That isn't true." Grell broke in suddenly. "Your fate will sever any ties between you both in the end. He will either eat your soul or you will die."
A feeling close to panic and irritation swirled in his gut at the thought. It was true, he couldn't put off achieving his goal forever, and he would eventually die. Part of him hated the reaper for telling him such cruel truths.
"He could just end the contract!" Alois snapped back, his bright blue eyes narrowing at the reaper across from him.
"He would die." Grell said, and the blond's eyes widened in surprise. "It's true, you know~! A demon takes quite a risk to enter into a contract with a human, one that always ends with death." The red head revealed with a large toothy smile.
As the reality of the situation sunk in, the child wondered why Claude had not told him such a thing. 'Because he has no intention of ending the contract.' His mind whispered back. No matter how much he denied it, he knew it was true.
"Shut up." The boy snapped, a cruel look overcoming his features. "You have a very annoying voice, and I don't want to hear it right now."
The red head sent him a glare, but he didn't care. The reaper had hurt him, it was only fair to do the same.
"You little brat! My voice is magnificent, MAGNIFICENT! Don't you get mad at me~ for telling you the truth, darling, be mad at yourself for not asking such important questions!" The reaper snapped as he slammed his tea cup down on a table that rested between the pair.
"Get out! I should've never invited you here!" The blond cried out, his hands shaking with rage as his unstable emotions swirled inside him.
The red head hesitated, and Alois considered calling for Claude, ordering him to remove the reaper. Maybe even ordering him to kill the annoying man. But he hesitated as the older man began to speak again.
"Do you want me to leave?" Grell questioned suddenly, catching Alois by surprise.
The blond wanted to scream. He wanted to shout and cry and hit, to declare that his words had been clearly spoken before having Claude throw him out onto his face. But no one had ever hesitated before. No one had ever considered that he may have been impulsive in his angry requests.
"No." He finally replied.
An awkward silence filled the room as Grell sat back down again and picked up his cup, sipping his tea quietly. Alois took a sip of his own, turning his attention to the window on the wall next to him. A few minutes passed in silence, before it was broken yet again.
"As beautiful as your mansion is, it's quite dull. What do you usually do for fun?" The red head asked, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for any hidden toys or games.
"There really isn't much to do." Alois revealed with some distaste. "I usually walk in the gardens or the forest nearby, and when I'm really bored I'll go bug Claude for a while."
As a sly smile broke across the reaper's face, Alois knew they wouldn't be bored for long.
Claude was mad.
It was quite a rare feat, for someone or something to bring out the wave of anger in him. Irritation, perhaps, but not often anger. Though, the day's events had lead to just that, no doubt with the help of a certain reaper. Of course, he wouldn't show it. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
Throughout the course of the day, pins had been taken from doors, causing them to fall over; perfectly shaped bushes in the garden had been morphed into animals, odd shapes, and skulls; a possum had somehow managed to get into the house; the triplets had been dressed in bright red, and their faces painted with makeup.
And of course, there was the current fiasco.
Hearing giggles and a few loud thuds, the stoic demon had followed the noise to the wash room. The sound of splashing sounded from within the room, and Claude could only imagine what would be waiting for him just beyond the closed door. Gently tapping on the door, he called out to his master reluctantly.
"Your Highness, may I enter?" The demon questioned loudly.
Shuffles could be heard from inside, followed by giggles and the sound of someone hitting the floor with a loud thud. A few colorful curses sounded from the reaper, and he heard his master laugh once more before answering his call.
"..uh, come in Claude!" Called his masters muffled voice, and with that, the demon threw the door open.
The sight that greeted him was about what he had expected. Two fully clothed, drenched figures stared at him from across the room, both wearing nervous smiles. Before him was a floor covered in water and suds, the tiles now slick and soapy.
"…Your Highness, what in the world is this foolishness?" The demon questioned with distaste as he tested the slickness of the floor with one foot.
"I wanted to learn how to skate. I've never been skating before, Claude, and it's much too warm out for there to be ice! Besides, we lack the equipment." Alois explained, acting as if the idea was somehow logical given the circumstances.
"Exactly~! So, I suggested this alternative, though I'm apparently no more graceful on soapy tile than I am on ice…" The reaper said with a giggle, brushing a piece of damp hair out of his face.
As the two giggled and slowly made their way along the floor, the red head paused, giving Alois a sly smile and holding his arms out towards the young man. The sudden action caught the blond's attention, and he paused in his movements as well.
"Alois~!" The reaper whined, "Carry me!"
"Bloody hell! Carry yourself you idiot! I can barely keep myself from falling to the floor as it is!" Alois replied, a scandalized look overcoming his face as he stared at the smiling reaper.
Bright blue met acidic green, and then as their gazes fell on him Claude fought the natural urge to run. Any lesser demon would've, all things considered. Alois flashed him a happy smile, holding his small arms out towards the demon, an expectant look on his face.
"Claude, I order you to come get me!" The blond cried out, his bright blue eyes full of amusement and expectations.
Ignoring the urge to ignore the order, Claude made his way across the slick floor with ease, easily reaching his young master. Slender arms encircled his waist and pulled him close, and the demon fought the urge to sigh loudly as his clothing began to adsorb water from the drenched child. Scooping the boy into his arms, the dark haired man easily made his way out of the room.
"Hey~! That's not fair!" Grell cried out behind them.
As the red head attempted to stomp a foot in anger, he lost balance and toppled to the floor with a loud yelp. Alois's laughter rang loudly in the demon's ears, and he quickly placed his master on his feet once again on the dry floor.
"Oh, he looks like such a fool! Don't you agree, Claude?" Alois said with an obnoxious laugh, gesturing to the unfortunate reaper as the red head attempted to get back to his feet.
"Quite." The dark haired man replied, stoic as ever.
Alois's laughter vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of pure annoyance as he stared at the demon before him. Rolling his eyes, he gave the struggling reaper a sneer before beginning to walk down the hallway, calling out an order as he left.
"Claude, this is an order. Help Grell, make sure he gets a change of clothing, and get this mess cleaned up. When you're done, come and change me. Don't doddle, or I'll push you~!" The blond cried out as he turned the corner of the hallway, leaving the demon alone with the trouble-making reaper.
As a butler, it was his duty to delegate tasks to those who fell under his command. His only direct order had been to assist the red headed man in getting out of the room. The other tasks, though they had to be completed as ordered, did not require him specifically.
With a slight nod, Claude turned away from the soapy room and the irritated reaper, clapping his hands loudly. A moment later, four demon appeared before him, ready to serve. The demon found himself mildly irritated as he noted the triplets had yet to change or cleanse their faces.
"Hannah, please find Mr. Sutcliff a suitable change of clothes, and leave them in the guest room near the stairway. Timber, Thompson, Cantebury, please see that this room gets cleaned as soon as possible. I shall assist our guest." Claude said, his voice firm and authoritative.
The triplets took their leave, whispering to each other as they began to walk down the hallway, on their way to gather cleaning supplies no doubt. Hannah gave a soft nod and turned away as well, a bemused look in her eye as she made her way towards the guest room.
Satisfied that the delegated tasks would be accomplished, Claude turned back to his own task, the sopping wet red headed reaper in the middle of the washroom. The man had finally gotten to his feet again, and was once again struggling to move along the slick surface, frustration evident on his face.
Carefully stepping out onto the soapy floor, the dark haired man crossed the surface with ease, reaching the reaper's side just in time as the man nearly fell again, grasping the demon's suit jacket in an attempt to remain on his feet. The red head flushed and gave him a shy smile as he stood straight again, and Claude was caught between amusement and annoyance.
"Tell me, are all reaper's this off balanced, or are you an exception?" The man questioned, bringing a hand up to grasp the other man's slender elbow.
The smile slid from the reaper's face and an angry look replaced it as the smaller man shoved him away roughly, almost knocking them both over. Annoyed, the demon moved towards the red headed man again, ignoring his protests as he lifted the reaper into his arms.
Grell squealed and struggled earnestly to get down, and the demon momentarily considered injecting the man with his venom to cease his movements. It would only knock the reaper out, most likely, but even his own toxic venom would not be able to destroy the divine being.
"It is my master's orders that I assist you in leaving this room. I'll ask that you stop struggling before you cause us both injury." Claude snapped as he slowly exited the room.
"Don't tell me what to do, you beast!" Grell snapped back, only to be dumped unceremoniously to the carpeted floor a moment later.
"Down the hallway to the left, you will see a staircase. The door immediately following it is a guest bedroom. You will find a change of clothing in there. Wait there when you are finished, and I shall send someone to retrieve you." the demon said firmly, his golden eyes staring into a surprised acidic green pair.
Finally, Claude turned away. He could not doddle, after all, his young master was waiting.
Alois gave a yawn, as his head rested against his pillow. It had been a long day, but one of the best he had experienced in a long time. Spending his day creating disaster after disaster with a grim reaper had been much more amusing than he had originally thought.
As Claude tucked him safely into bed, the blond couldn't help but kick the covers off again. He enjoyed it when the demon covered him so gently at night, and the urge to have the action repeated was overwhelming. He watched the demon's brow furrow slightly with annoyance as his blankets hit the floor, exposing the boy's bare feet to the chill of the room.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Cover me up again!" Alois snapped as the demon made no movement.
The child smiled slightly as his butler immediately retrieved the blanket, covering him once again with the fuzzy, warm blanket. The candle light caused the demon's glasses to glint, masking his inhuman eyes from his own. The darkness surrounding them both made him shiver.
"Are you annoyed, Claude? Are you angry that I made such a mess today?" He questioned, curious.
The normally stoic man tended to answer the same way every time he was questioned, and today was to be no exception it seemed.
"No." The dark haired man replied as he stood beside his master's bed, waiting to be dismissed.
"But Grell annoyed you, didn't he?" The blond giggled and teased, a sadistic smile forming on his lips.
Oh, how often he had sought to get a reaction from the demonic butler. And in just one day, in the matter of a few hours, Grell Sutcliff had drawn more animation reactions from the demon than the child had seen in the three years of living with him. Anger, irritation, frustration, relief... Part of Alois was jealous that he could not draw out those same reactions.
"Yes, he did." Claude admitted reluctantly.
He wanted to see more. He wanted to see more of this side of the demon, he wanted to laugh more, he wanted to have more days like today. And he would get what he wanted, no matter what. Even if Claude disagreed. In the end, Alois knew he would get what he wanted. It was just a matter of time.
"I think he likes you in his own way, you know. Or at least, he finds you attractive. I bet he would be disgusted if he saw your true form." The blond laughed, skeptical eyes moving over the other man's toned physique.
It was true, that his butler was handsome. Of course that fact had not escaped his notice. A demon was meant to be tempting after all, and Claude was a demon through and through. But in his demonic form, the dark haired man was truly hideous.
"That is doubtful. Reapers are aware that demons often take on the human form during their time under contract. And I assure you, there are much more visually disturbing demons around." The dark haired demon said firmly, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.
Alois frowned. 'Vanity is a sin even my own demon is guilty of.' The child thought to himself, torn between amusement and frustration. 'But this could work for me.'
"Since that is the case, I have an order for you Claude. Make Grell fall in love with you. Make him want to stay here with us for as long as I life, and even longer still. Entangle him so deeply that he can never free himself from our web." The blond demanded, a tired smile on his lips.
A reluctant answer cut through the darkness a moment later as his eyes fluttered closed.
"Yes, your Highness."
AN: -sigh- Only had to re-write this chapter 10x T.T I hope it came out ok. You should let me know ;) Reviews are author food after all, and they greatly encourage me to write~!
