"All my friends are heathens, take it slow

Wait for them to ask you who you know

Please don't make any sudden moves

You don't know the half of the abuse."

-Twenty One Pilots, "Heathens"

A crisp breeze ruffled Sebastian's hair as they stood in the garden. The breeze carried with it the aroma of sunlight and honeysuckle. He would say for the human world that it had its appeal. One got tired of only smelling blood and sulfur all day.

"You're troubled."

He looked down at his master. "What makes you think that?"

"You're rolling your cuff link between your fingers. I know it isn't absentminded, you don't know the meaning of such."

"You are wise beyond your years my young lord."

Ciel smirked. "I paid a high price for that wisdom. Now quit trying to distract me I want to know what's bothering you."

He tried to sound flippant but there was a slight hitch in his voice that gave him away; Sebastian was slightly touched that the boy cared for him. He had always known it, though. In ways Ciel was even colder than him but there was the occasional slip up and Sebastian saw his vulnerable side. That side was more dependent on his butler than Lord Phantomhive would ever admit.

Sebastian knelt to level his gaze with his master's. "Your concern is flattering."

"I don't like having my servants preoccupied, you will not be able to perform your duties efficiently if you are distracted."

"Forgive me, my lord," he said, hand to his chest.

"You never answered me."

"Is that an order?"

Ciel sighed. "It will only become an order if whatever weighs on your mind affects your work. Until then keep it to yourself if you wish, your troubles are none of my concern anyway I have plenty of my own."

Brat. "Very well my lord."

They parted ways for Sebastian to carry on with his duties. He immersed himself in chopping fresh fruits and vegetables for dinner. His hand slowed when he came to the strawberries for dinner. Their scent was intoxicating in a way it had never been before. He inhaled deeply and thought of his lips pressed to the crook of Grell's neck, the lingering scent of strawberries and cream on his skin. The memory was bittersweet. He had not seen the reaper in two weeks.

In the past there could be months between their paths crossing, or sometimes days. This felt different. After Grell chasing him all that time he expected the reaper to harass him endlessly about what their night together had meant, about Sebastian's feelings, et cetera, et cetera. Grell finally got what he wanted. Why wasn't he there to gloat about it?

The late afternoon gave way to the evening which surrendered to nighttime. He stared down at his empty bed before stretching out atop the bedding. He had no desire to sleep, only to turn his face to the pillow and let the familiar scent wash over him. Never in the time they had known each other would he have ever believed he would miss Grell Sutcliff. The reaper had awoken strange feelings in him and he wished to explore them, identify them. It was a strength to know an enemy's weakness but a downright necessity to know one's own.

He closed his eyes, and tried to banish from his mind the possibility of Grell having indeed become a weakness.

One Month Later

Rain pelted the worn cobblestone streets of London. Ciel left the crime scene dry, of course. If Sebastian could not hold an umbrella over his master, he would be a poor excuse for a butler. The sky was dark grey as they got into the carriage. Men all over London were being decapitated and the Queen's guard dog had been dispatched to solve the murders.

"I do wonder what the killer wants with all those heads," Ciel mused.

The biggest problem with the crime scenes was the decapitated bodies – just the bodies, as the heads were nowhere to be found. It had created a challenge for identifying the dead. There was never a witness to the crime.

The driver steered them down an alley and Sebastian detected a sound that was out of the ordinary. It was the clicking of heels but heavier. Perhaps it was a larger woman but he could think of no lady who would be out in this weather in heels. Besides the sound stood among the rest of the city noise to simply be a woman. It wouldn't have caught his interest if it were something so common. He was still assessing whether or not the unusual footsteps were a threat when the carriage jolted to a halt.

"Master!" He caught Ciel and pushed him down as the carriage rocked, narrowly grabbing the boy before he was thrown into the door.

"What in the bloody hell was that? Investigate it!"

"Yes, my lord."

Sebastian was gone from the carriage in a blur. The horses were shifting with unease and the driver squinted into the rain. It had escalated from a steady shower to a downpour. Without his enhanced vision Sebastian would not have been able to see the figure blocking their path. The horses had sensed it before the driver, who was still trying to determine why they had stopped.

Click, click.

Two steps taken in heels. Sebastian was just beginning to make out the form walking towards him. The first thing he saw were heeled black leather boots, almost knee high. Above them were form fitting black trousers, a black shirt and a black vest adorned with a single red chain. Sebastian set his jaw. It was a grim reaper.

Even worse, it was his grim reaper.

Grell's long tresses were tied back so that only the shorter hair in the front was visible. His face was not alight with glee at seeing Sebastian. He did not smile and begin shouting or trying to kill anyone. In fact his expression reminded Sebastian of the one he usually wore; indifferent and cold.

His pause to observe the reaper was interrupted by the loud whirring of motors as Grell's death scythe roared to life. "You are the demon, Sebastian Michaelis."

Sebastian blinked. That was Grell's voice, but it was animated with none of his usual drama and flamboyance. He lowered into a defensive position, determined to keep his composure in front of the master. Ciel was surely watching.

"My, it isn't like you to be coy. You act as if I'm a stranger."

"You are vermin. Attractive vermin, but little more than scum nonetheless."

Grell charged him with shocking speed and grace. He was usually swooning over Sebastian even while fighting and it was enough of a distraction to give Sebastian the upper hand. Now he was focused and unrelenting with his attack.

Sebastian dodged then hooked his foot around Grell's ankles and swept him before the dodged attack landed on the carriage that held his master. Grell recovered with ease, holding the scythe with one hand and using his free one to front flip back on to his feet. He spun around and lunged again.

Something wasn't right here. That blow had been aimed to kill and even under orders Grell could never bring himself to do more than rough the demon up a bit. Sebastian had been well matched the first time they fought but Grell seemed to have become more powerful. His attacks were more precise, his movements faster. He was lethal.

In two more moves Grell had him cornered. He raised his scythe as he bared his teeth in a wild smile. Sebastian planted his feet and jumped. Brick and mortar filled the air as the chainsaw obliterate the place Sebastian had just stood. He ran up the wall, hearing Grell hot on his path as soon as he dislodged his scythe from the ruined bricks. His feet had barely landed on the roof when another pair landed right behind him with a click of heels that would have been graceful and ladylike, if not worn by a murderous shinigami.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, leaning away from the scythe as it came toward him.

"I was doing my job and minding my own business. I wasn't going to seek you out but I was told to kill you on sight if our paths did cross." Grell fluttered his eyelashes and revved the chainsaw. "I do hate to ruin that pretty face."

"Your mood has changed considerably since the last time we saw each other," he said and kicked the scythe upward, away from his face which was pretty indeed.

"I know you only by description. I've never come across one of your kind in this realm until now, I think I would remember such an unpleasant encounter."

Sebastian's eyes widened. Grell didn't remember him...his head buzzed with questions. How long had Grell been like this? Why had his memories been altered? Why had his passionate nature been extinguished with what seemed to be a cold fire now burning in his heart?

He feinted when Grell came for him next and grabbed the reaper as he passed him. He threw Grell down and forced his arms above his head, using most of his strength to pin him to the ground. The chainsaw sent chunks of the cement roof flying in all directions. Sebastian lowered his face to Grell's and let his body shield the reaper's from the debris.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

Grell smiled and kissed Sebastian with confidence. He purred, a vibration that Sebastian felt against his chest as the reaper's tongue slid into his mouth. It distracted him for a fraction of a second, as his focus could not long leave the safety of his master. The moment was enough. He had blinked and when he opened his eyes he had to catch himself from going face down on the roof.

Grell now stood over him. He put a heeled boot on the back of Sebastian's head. "I'm about to be late for a reaping...until next time, Bassy."

The name sent chills down Sebastian's spine. The weight on the back of his head vanished and when he looked up, Grell was gone. Sebastian ran his fingers over the deep pits in the roof left by his death scythe. His black fingernails elongated into claws and tore through his gloves as surely as anger tore through his cool, collected mask.

He heard Ciel calling him but he could only hear one name echoing through his mind. It was a realization, a prosecution, a solemn promise for the being's destruction.

Will.