It was a nerve wracking fifteen hours as Sebastian proceeded to wake up the young master at 7 am, teach him a few lessons in maths, etiquette and help him through some legal paperwork, all while keeping his eyes torn between the subject at hand and any window, door or opening of any kind that Grell might be able to slip through. When he put the young master to bed at 9 pm, Sebastian's mind was racing with the idea that perhaps Grell would have kept his deal and stayed away for today.
The idea of Grell obeying an order was astonishing, but Sebastian barely had time to feel relieved before he heard a boom from the kitchen and only just caught himself from rolling his eyes as he went to finish up his duties and tell Bard off for failing to do the simplest tasks.
Sebastian had left Ciel in the care of his fiancé's family for the day, a picnic planned with the three barely competent house servants attending to keep the master safe. It had seemed like a fairly safe plan and the mother was well trained with a gun.
So instead of basking in the glow of the sun and helping himself to a muffin or two from the picnic while no one was looking, Sebastian was waiting at the manor, debating on changing his attire for Grell's appearance. Not that the shinigami would mind either way, Sebastian had a feeling Grell's concern was placed elsewhere.
Something tugged at his stomach as he waited, though whether it was regret for making this damn deal or anxiety on how it would turn out, he wasn't exactly sure. Spending the afternoon with the red headed shinigami wasn't something he really wanted to do but perhaps a day like this every now and then would stop Grell from barging in unannounced and ruining the plans he so carefully prepared every day.
Within a few minutes, a knock came to the door and Sebastian jumped, dropping the handkerchief he had been obsessively folding without really noticing. Snatching it up with a scowl, he walked swiftly to the door and pulled it open to reveal a very toothy grin from a certain shinigami.
"Sebas-chaan~" Grell's voice was musical, and much louder than Sebastian liked. "I believe it's our date time!"
"Please refrain from addressing this as a date, Grell. You are merely occupying the time I have to waste right now." Sebastian said, his voice composed and his face a mask of indifference.
"Hmm, so cold." Grell shied away from Sebastian's figure with a mock pout, but Sebastian knew better than to assume that would work. "Either way, I'm allowed to be excited. This is the first time Sebas-chan and I have really been alone! And it's not life-threatening!"
Not yet, Sebastian thought to himself, wondering just how long it would take for Grell to break down his patience.
Sighing, Sebastian moved to leave, not needing anything in particular to take with him that he didn't always have on hand anyway. He locked up and pushed Grell back with his elbow, coaxing the man to move away from the door.
Within a time frame of about twenty minutes and a carriage ride since Grell had complained about walking, Sebastian and his red headed companion reached the main town. Sebastian had chosen this as a fairly safe area to entertain the shinigami as with more people watching, there might be less chance of Grell jumping on him and he had mildly thought about getting a new set of gloves. He could get the fancy imported ones that came with the fancy clothes the young master's tailor insisted on bringing for him when they met, but he wanted to fix some gardening and simple town gloves would suffice.
"Wow~! Isn't that beautiful, Sebastian!" Grell's voice startled Sebastian out of his fairly calming thoughts of gloves and he turned to see Grell pressed against a window shop, drooling over some ruby ladies gown.
"It's suitable for a lady. Not a confused man like yourself." Sebastian said, his voice low so as not to direct attention at himself.
Grell once again sent a pout his way and Sebastian wondered if he pulled this attitude with his superiors. Certainly with that one named William, Sebastian had seen that first hand. The red head came sauntering back to him and said with an air of pride, "Admit it, I would look stunning in that dress."
Sebastian sighed and looked over to the dress again. "If I say yes, will you drop it?"
Grell grinned and to Sebastian's horror, linked arms with the demon, leading him further down the street. Sebastian kept his gaze low, not wanting to see the confused glances he was feeling at the moment while Grell seemed to be in heaven, pointing out shops he found interesting without fear as if he really was just simply on a date with a more willing participant.
After agreeing to a small shop out of the main sight, Sebastian watched as Grell sifted through the racks of clothing, every so often holding out a fabric or dress for Sebastian's opinion. However lacking, Sebastian's noncommittal responses seemed to be enough because Grell didn't press the situation much. The ebony haired butler was relieved when Grell squealed and headed over to the men's section to look at a ruby red suit, complete with a black button up and a matching red bowtie.
It was painfully obvious what Grell's favorite color was and it seemed the man could not help himself. At least it was a suit, so Sebastian gave some feedback he actually believed in.
"That would suit you." He said, his eyes scanning the pant legs and wondering if the size was right. Or what size the red head was in general. "Though I'd honestly select something in black for you, as a contrast to your hair color. You don't want to get lost in the color, you should wear it."
Grell giggled, causing Sebastian to send him a disapproving look, but the red head was still clinging to the sleeve of the red suit.
"Spoken like a professional, Sebas-chan." Grell said. "But black is so plain!"
Sebastian held in another sigh. This was not to be a habit. It would not!
"You can always dress it up. A simple or striped black suit with a red tie or shirt would look reasonably well together. In fact, a black suit and tie with a red shirt might be something you should consider." He said, sure Grell wouldn't take his advice. The man was far too attached to his red coat, but then again, Sebastian was sure a new suit wouldn't stop him from wearing that thing over top.
Grell seemed to think about it, but all in all, they left the shop empty handed. Grell insisted he was thirsty and they stepped inside a small cafe lounge to order something.
Sebastian watched the red head sip at a cup of...what smelled like coffee with more sugar than even Ciel would dare adding and gave only the slightest of twitches when he felt Grell's hand search for his own and find it, sliding slender fingers over the back of his left hand. Though the urge to pull away was strong, Sebastian stayed still, entertaining the poor shinigami for a few moments.
Emboldened by Sebastian's stillness, Grell strayed a bit further, going so far as to shift Sebastian's fingers apart and lace his own in between. A shiver ran through both of them, regardless of the reasons, as they realized they were holding hands. In a cafe. Like a couple.
Grell gave a small, confident smile and Sebastian merely gazed back, unsure of how to react. He hadn't held hands in ages...actually, he couldn't remember the last time he'd held hands like this. The closest he'd come was holding Ciel's small hands to help the boy in and out of the tub or a carriage.
"Ne, Sebas-chan?" Grell asked. The red head had an annoying habit of shaking thoughts from Sebastian's head and he lost his count of how long ago it had been since he'd held hands.
"What is it, Grell?" He responded.
"Look over there."
Sebastian glanced in the direction Grell was pointing to see a couple holding hands and sharing a cup of something from the cafe. Their expressions were dreamy and relaxed and Sebastian could practically feel the genuine love for each other radiating towards his own table. The girl giggled and leaned forward, the boy smiling brightly and closing the gap to press a sweet kiss to the girl's lips. A second giggle from his table brought Sebastian's gaze back to the red head and though he expected Grell to be watching him for a kiss, the red head was instead staring dreamily at the couple.
While Grell was distracted, Sebastian found himself admiring the way Grell saw the idea of love. Where the shinigami truly believed in it, Sebastian had long since pushed it out of sight and mind, having much better things to be thinking about. But something about the air right now as Grell smiled and watched the couple kiss again was relaxing. Sebastian could feel the same calm from the shinigami as he had from the couple. And it was unfortunately catching. His fingers shifted in Grell's grip and the red head looked back at him curiously, as if worried Sebastian would pull away.
"Hurry up and let's keep walking." Sebastian covered up any awkwardness with his usual mask and Grell merely nodded and began drinking faster.
At the end of their time, Sebastian once again got a carriage home, rolling his eyes at Grell who was loudly complaining about how his feet hurt.
Turning just before the doors, Sebastian waited for Grell to catch up, reluctant to let the shinigami into the manor. "Well...that wasn't...entirely painful." Sebastian reasoned out aloud, trying to hint at a goodbye.
"Save for my feet." Grell mumbled, but perked up when he reached Sebastian. "But it was fun hanging out with Sebas-chan!"
"Yes, I'm sure it was. Now will you agree not to interrupt me again without warning?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow.
Grell shifted around like a schoolgirl with a crush and looked up at Sebastian from under his lashes. "Aw, Sebby wouldn't leave me like that, hmm? After such a beautiful date?"
Sebastian dropped his eyes to the ground and said, "What else could you want?"
Grell inched in a bit closer, every so often moving again to invade Sebastian's personal space. When Sebastian cared to look, he found Grell much closer than he'd like with that same pout from earlier in the shops plastered on his face.
From a closer distance, the pout almost seemed endearing and Sebastian nearly kicked himself for thinking that.
"Would Sebas-chan honor me with a kiss?" Grell asked, his voice small but no less teasing than usual.
Sebastian felt an uncharacteristic lump in his throat and found he couldn't reply, but that didn't stop Grell from advancing. The red head's knees bumped Sebastian's and he moved back until he felt the hard wood of the doors against his back and Grell wasn't leaving any room to escape.
Though he wanted to shove the shinigami away, part of Sebastian was remembering the couple in the cafe. The relaxing atmosphere, the little giggle the woman had given. And that desire to be part of that was what stopped Sebastian from protesting as Grell gently pressed his lips to Sebastian's.
There was a few seconds of awkward stillness before Sebastian decided to seal the coffin to his grave by moving his lips ever so slightly to coax Grell to continue. The red head seemed awfully timid now that he'd made the first move and Sebastian felt him twitch at the invitation, though that didn't stop him from responding. The kiss didn't last long, much to Sebastian's relief, but it was much more...something, than the one he'd shared with Grell when tending to his wounds a few days prior.
Grell pulled away with a girlish blush painting his cheeks and he avoided eye contact while he moved to a more comfortable distance. The sight almost suited him, but Sebastian wouldn't dare voice something so embarrassing to the shinigami. His lips were already tingling unpleasantly from the touch and he wanted to get inside to compose himself.
"Well, I hope that was good enough." He said, his voice portraying none of his anxiety, much to his relief.
"It was perfect." Grell murmured, his voice low and his composure calm, if only for a few moments before the overdone shinigami returned. "But next time use tongue!" Grell blushed deeper and clapped his hands to his cheeks as if highly embarrassed by his own words, though Sebastian knew it was nothing out of the ordinary. "Until next time, Sebas-chan!"
With a wave of his fingers, Grell descended the stairs leading to the Phantomhive manor and walked off in what Sebastian hoped was the direction back to the shinigami headquarters or wherever it was Grell did his actual work.
Sebastian waited until he was out of sight and unlocked the manor, stepping inside and closing the door with a click. Had demons heartbeats, Sebastian was sure his would be pounding a bit out of rhythm just now as he reflected on what happened. It was merely the image of the couples. It was simply an effect of servitude without personal gain for so long. That must have been it.
He set about preparing dinner for the young master and company when they returned from the picnic, trying very hard not to think about Grell Sutcliff or the feeling of his lips or the taste of that watermelon flavored chapstick the shinigami had been wearing that just wouldn't go away no matter how many glasses of water Sebastian drank.