Synergy Chapter 2, a kuroshitsuji fanfic

Song: Temptation Cradle of Filith

He saw things in his blood that were monstrous, so monstrous he felt vile even rousing them from his veins. It had been about an hour now and the blood had congealed, his self-inflicted lacerations were slowly healing. He had neglected to clean them out though, thus they were healing around the needles and stitches he had aimlessly, and also in a very poor manner, sewn in to keep his major arteries from bleeding too profusely. He felt numb toward himself, he was repulsed and disappointed...To sink so low for pleasure as to harm oneself.

Was that not a reaper's long vow?

I've never been closer
I've tried to understand
That certain feeling
Carved by another's hand
But it's too late to hesitate
We can't keep on living like this

Death was an image of metamorphosis; the decay of one's soul was nothing but a broken mirror. The soul was not complete without the snipping of the Cinematic Record, and it could be ripped, manipulated, extended, or devoured. The completion of the metamorphosis resulted in that soul's final destination, decided upon by the reaper. He had vowed the day of his birth that he would die as well, along with these new lives that he would never be part of. For even in the pages of his diary he was nothing as the Tale meant for him to be. He held no love for mortals, only what they could provide for him.

And that was the pleasure of pain.

Leave no track
Don't look back

Present Day

His hair was sleek and combed back, the oil keeping it style tightly above his forehead. It was rather uncomfortable, he confessed from time to time, but it was much less annoying than brushing it back consistently as he did his paperwork. Besides, he was not one for hairpins, like his subordinate, who sat in front of him now filing his nails.

"And why did you not complete this reaping?" he asked sternly. Grell rolled his eyes and checked his nails.

"Oh, you assign too much, William," he whined with a hum, "A lady needs her personal time,"

William sighed, "You will stay and work unpaid overtime for this,"

"Eh~!" Grell huffed, "No fair!"

"It is fair, Grell Sutcliffe, had you not skipped your last reaping to go clothes shopping instead of completing your work and getting to such a menial task afterward," William scolded.

All I desire
Temptation
Keep climbing higher and higher
Temptation
Adorable creatures
Temptation
With unacceptable features
Temptation
And trouble is coming
Temptation
It's just the high cost of loving
Temptation
And you can take it or leave it
Temptation
But you'd better believe it

Grell growled and pouted, crossing his arms. He continued to scowl at William, who was sorting out the overtime work due on the reaping Grell had skipped. This was no fair! He had been keeping up with his work for the past few months and now when it seemed William was off his back he was back on it! He had to admit though, the sight of those cold eyes staring through to him, staring at every sin and vice-like virtue that haunted his soul, it was intoxicating. Alas, he knew William was loathed to admit how beautiful those cold eyes were; pure like snow on the virgin night of winter...Ravaging, ravishing, and making a new world from the frigid tomb he had seduced the earth into.

Grell was the autumn, the death of the foundation William had inscribed on the now wed earth. With a flare of his flaming passion the leaves turned their true color; as William's green eyes did whenever they saw Grell, the reflection and refraction of red bound him to hating the season change a bit more every passing year. However, unlike the immortal seasons, their immortal flesh was not prone to such extreme changes.

You've got to make me an offer
That cannot be ignored
So let's head for home now
Everything I'll have is yours
Step by step and day by day
Every second counts I can't break away

"Will~iam," Grell hummed, standing and walking around his desk. He grabbed his boss' upper right arm, unexpectedly drawing a gasp from his superior. He had never seen such a look of pleasure on his face, and even though it was an instant, the euphoria seemed eternal. Grell blushed even as his superior struck him to the ground. A ribbon of red streaked across his cheek, it was then he realized that blood had began streaming down William's arm at a hasty rate. Grell hadn't grabbed him that hard, had it?

"You will not touch me like that again, Grell Sutcliffe," the glow of white light across his glasses made him seem almost human, that look of sick pleasure lingering on his straight, frowning lips, "Now leave,"

Leave no trace
Guard your face

"No," Grell huffed in defiance. He stood sharply.

"You will leave my office now, Grell Sutcliffe," he sat back in his chair. He didn't have anything to stop the bleeding at the moment, he was growing dizzy. It ran in one straight line down his arm, a self-inflicted line of pain and horrific pleasure digging out of his flesh and into the waking world.

Full of desire
Temptation
Keep climbing higher and higher
Temptation
And you can take it or leave it
Temptation
But you'd better believe it
YEAH!

Grell refused to leave, as the dizzy shinigami at the desk sulked momentarily, he hadn't wanted anyone to find out his sick fetish. Grell twisted his brow in confusion but also curiosity as William grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The way he was grabbing it though seemed quite unprofessional, as did the look on his face. He was trying to hide something about this pain he was undergoing, and Grell felt an almost desperate urge to find out. He undid his belt, quickly removing it and securing it around William's upper arm just above the place he assumed the blood wasn't streaming from.

"I told you to leave," William started, his free hand looking in his desk drawers for a first aid.

"Oh, shush up you big ol' meanie face," Grell pouted cutely, using his scissor scythe cut off William's sleeves, his superior grimaced considerably.

"You're paying for a new suit, I can assure you that unless you leave," he threatened.

Step by step
And day by day
Every second counts
I can't break away

"William, what the hell?" Grell huffed, exasperated as he pulled the layer gauze off of his long, somewhat deep, incision, "This injury is horrible. Why the hell didn't you to the Infirmary? And then you bitch at me for not taking care of myself and acting immature?"

The laceration was indeed in very bad condition. It appeared to be infected, and his superior hadn't done much to stitch it up to prevent such a thing. The strange thing about it though was that it was a clean cut, and any blade that could cause such a painfully horrific injury was a death scythe. A mortal blade could only cause a temporal laceration, so he assumed that William had injured himself on accident and was far too full of pride to go to the infirmary.

Keep us from temptation

Keep us from temptation!

"I've told you to leave twice already, Grell Sutcliffe," William spoke coldly, "I'd take my order and leave,"

"Not in this condition," Grell grabbed his uninjured and practically dragged him from his office, "I'm taking you to the Infirmary. You should really pay more attention to what happens around you, Will~iam,"

The red-head snickered back at him, "That injury is infected and if it proceeds you could get a fever or blood poisoning. Did you fall on your scythe or something? Honestly, William, if you don't stop acting like such a puffy ruler, it'll be the death~ of you!"

Lead us not into temptation

He knew they were going to find out about his sickness. He felt too weak to fight being dragged by his subordinate down the hallway, the blood loss had made him whoozy and he desperately wanted to be left alone to tend to his injury. He knew it was stupid to use his scythe, of any blade, to use as his tool of pleasure. It had been late though, and he had no more scalpels left, leaving the premises without notice of any impending reaping would've seemed suspicious...And he was in desperate need of his pleasure's release.

Trying to find it
Temptation
You've got to get up behind it
Temptation
Put your dime in the whore sluts
Temptation
But it's a million to one shot
Temptation
You think you're right now
Temptation
Your gonna make it tonight now
Temptation
Give me a breakdown
Temptation
Because it's time for a shakedown
Temptation

He tried to kill his sickness, he tried to go weeks, and sometimes even months, without cutting or injuring himself. Somehow it always ended up with him going back to the blade...needles, scalpels, razors...anything...to bring him back to that sinful euphoria. He was an addict, he was a nymphomaniac to his own masochism.

"Mr. Spears," the nurse's voice was shaky as she cleaned his wound out, "This injury is infected. I'd advise taking a day or two off to let it heal. However did this happen?"

William sighed, "I fell on my scythe. I was out the other night collecting souls, it had been raining and I slipped off a gutter. That's how it happened, I didn't think much of the injury until Grell Sutcliffe dragged me over here for treatment,"

"Someone of your rank," she applied the anti-septic, William clenched the breath in his throat, "I would've thought you'd come here for treatment,"

"No one was here at the time," he clarified, adverting his gaze to Grell, who was cleaning his nails, as he waited for the nurse the finish up.

Temptation

"I had work to do, so I grabbed some gauze and a clothe, stopped the bleeding, and got back to work," William told her, and it was convenient enough of an excuse. It had been partially based on fact. He bit his tongue, hissing at the anti-septic.

"Yes, I know this stuff stings," the nurse sighed, "Do forgive me. I had to use a more powerful sort for this infection. After I'm done I'll prescribe some pain medication and almost something to finish off the infection. I want you to take tomorrow off, I'll have an absence slip ready and if tomorrow you feel like you need another day of rest, just notify me and I'll get another slip,"

She started wrapping the gauze around his arm.

Temptation

"Honestly, Mr. Spears," she started when she began walking away, he heard what she said under her breath and it made him shiver, "Didn't think you were the kind who liked this sort of thing,"

Temptation