His shears sliced through the air, diving for the demon's heart. Sebastian jumped out of the way, flipping over Grell and landing elegantly on his feet within arm's reach of William, his coattails flapping.
"And here, I thought we could discuss this like civilized gentlemen…" Sebastian placed a hand to his chest, sounding disappointed.
"Civilized!" Will hissed through his teeth, crushing the handle of his scythe in his strong grip and sending it shooting forward again and again, aiming for whatever piece of Sebastian he could. The demon eluded the blades each time, dancing around Will as if this were no more than a well-choreographed piece. Grell tugged on her bonds and snapped the silk tie like it was a thread, letting out a small sigh at the idea of having lost another one.
"William!" Grell scanned the room for her scythe, racking her brain trying to remember where she had left it. "You're being a child, you will get yourself killed – stop it!"
The look he gave her promised nothing less than death, but he did not dignify her outcry with a response. He hefted his scythe and swung it around, the metal beaming her across the temple. Grell reeled and fell against the bed, her hand clutching her head as her vision started to blur and break up into a series of dark gray splotches.
The shears came for Sebastian again, but he reached up, this time grabbing the pole. He tried to wrench the scythe out of Will's grip, but the reaper, instead, used the new leverage to haul Sebastian forward and slam a foot into his gut. Sebastian doubled over, a rush of air forcing its way past his lips as he looked up at Will in surprise, a look which quickly faded to bemusement.
"I did not dare hope," the demon said, "that she meant this much to you."
"You have defiled a divine creature. You will pay the ultimate price." Will ground his teeth. His glasses were slipping, and a section of his immaculately slicked back hair had absconded from the rest and was now falling into his eyes.
"Your scythe is a very formidable weapon," Sebastian taunted him, pacing around the reaper in a tight circle like a predatory cat. "But you can see I am unarmed." He lifted his hands, showing they were empty. "You would not dare face me, man to man."
"Reaper to demon. There are no men here." Will tightened his grip on his scythe. "I am not a fool."
"I would never accuse you of being such." There was no sarcasm in Sebastian's voice, but it was still implied.
Will straightened. He dropped his scythe unceremoniously to the floor, then pushing it aside with his foot. He flexed his hands, loosening up his fingers, and settled into a fighting stance, his eyes never leaving Sebastian as the demon continued to circle.
A slow smile spread over Sebastian's sinuous mouth. He stopped right in front of Will, grinding his heel against the floor, then he sprang forward, his lips parting to flash sharp, white teeth. Will did not waiver, but with a very calculated swing, he slammed his fist into Sebastian's throat, sending the demon back a few paces. He did not give Sebastian time to recover from the blow. Will leapt, landing on Sebastian's chest, he brought his hand down on the demon's face, slamming his head into the floor. Sebastian's skull cracked against the tile, and William sank his teeth over Sebastian's ear. There was a sickly crackle of cartilage.
The demon did not scream.
Sebastian grabbed Will's wrist, dragging his hand down only far enough that Sebastian could slide his mouth over Will's two middle fingers. Will wrenched his head to the side. Cartilage split again, and he spat Sebastian's ear to the ground, strands of saliva and blood trailing from his lips. Sebastian bit down on Will's fingers. Bone snapped.
The reaper screamed.
Glove and all, Sebastian had bitten off the tips of his left middle and ring finger. Will brought his other hand down on Sebastian's face, attempting to drive his fingers into the demon's eyes. Sebastian crushed Will's body against his chest, rolling over so that he was resting on top of the shinigami, spitting blood onto his face.
Grell's vision was coming back. She kept her hands on the side of the bed as she made her way around it, barely able to make out her scythe propped up against the wall, close to a wardrobe. She was royally pissed off with her William, right now. At first because he had interrupted her fun, and now because he was trying to have more fun without her.
She reached her scythe. Grell grasped its thick handle and drew back the cord, feeling the powerful engine vibrating heavily, and the chainsaw's teeth whirring with deadly efficiency. She grinned and laughed out loud, spinning on her heel and rushing over to where her two men lay tangled on the ground, locked in a duel to the death over her honor. How romantic.
"Oh, Sebas-chan!" she brought her glasses up to rest on her nose once more, only half-dressed but never one to miss a fight on that account alone. "Do not pick on poor William, you'll make me so jealous!"
Sebastian's lip curled. This was the last thing he needed. Grell needed to make up her damn mind. Either she was entirely helpless or a complete lunatic.
Sebastian brought his arm up just in time for it catch the brunt of the chainsaw's descending blow. His arm smacked against the base, and the teeth whirred above his head. Grell angled the scythe lower, her eyes gleaming, watching strands of his black hair split off as the blade inched closer to his head. Her heart was pounding. What if she split open his skull? What would she do with her dear Sebastian's brains painting the room in bright, glorious red?
The blood gushing down the side of his face, matting his hair and drenching his stiff white collar, was too bold, too beautiful a color to be ignored.
"Oh, Sebas-chan," she said, "your blood is too intoxicatingly stunning! But of course it would be!"
He managed to get enough leverage to push the chainsaw back. The effort lifted him up far enough tha Will could move again. Will brought up his long legs, slamming his feet into Sebastian's chest and sending him flying across the room. Sebastian hit the broken window, a long, jagged piece of glass slicing open his cheek. More blood.
Sebastian gripped the windowsill, the cold London air making his wounds sting. Will was already righting himself, sweeping his death scythe up from the floor. Will pushed his glasses up his nose, sultry lighting glinting off the lenses. Grell moved to stand beside him, her own scythe readied for a death blow. They really did make quite a vicious pair.
Sebastian had had enough of this farce. He reached up to touch the place where his ear used to be. The fingers of his white gloves came back soaked with blood.
"How unfortunate," he said, straightening. "I will return the favor to you, Will, but I fear I must depart." He turned to face the reapers, and placed a hand against his chest. "My master will be expecting his breakfast in a few hours and I have scant time to prepare."
"You will serve your master beaten half to death, with pieces of you resting on the floor of some distant hotel room?" William bared bloody teeth.
Sebastian only smiled, and bowed at the waist.
"A Phantomhive butler who cannot do this much isn't worth his salt." He set one foot on the windowsill, and in a spill of moonlight he was gone.
