A chapter to flesh out the newer characters and create a backstory of why William T. Spears owned that yellow suit during the Noah Ark Circus arc. More short stories on this series will be created. Woohoo! Another mini series!
*gets thrown a rock that says 'We want main chapters!'
NOTE: Updates will lessen, I can't promise but it is most like that one main chapter can be uploaded in one or two months.
Back then
Back in the day long before many reapers came to the Department, before Lucia, Wolfie and Ivan or their experiences of the Cold War. Even before people like Feli or Gilbert joined the ranks. Long before Rilliane and Gakushu were born. Before Prussia dissolved and Australia became an independent nation.
Gretel had a junior under her wing, and he would always be one, even though he already had around 30 years of experience.
"Arthur decided to become a main senior?!" Noct exclaimed in surprised. He resided in a body of a teenager, just like Gretel.
"Yes." Gretel nodded, smiling to the sight of Noct's mouth gaped a bit from the shock and at the corner of his lips were a bit of sugar powder. The two at one of the Department's many food court, for this afternoon the two decided to eat at a café.
Gretel was dining into her poached salmon with mint salad, the tea she drank today is Ceylon tea. "Arthur thought he was better suited for his new junior, due to their past roles." She said as she gracefully sipped her tea.
"Of a servant?" Noct worded, his black spikey hair bobbled, at the back his hair went upwards to which Gretel had kindly nicknamed it to be 'duck fluff'.
"Right again my Kitten." Gretel clapped her hands as she praised her junior. She let out a sigh to reminisce the days of the past. "I remembered when you were under my wing, you were always wanting hugs and pats on the head. You were so cute."
"But you are still cute now, if not even more." Gretel cooed.
"Sure, sure." Noct waved her off, munching deep into his lunch. As he munched into milk risotto and for dessert is an apple compote draped with yoghurt. It only made Gretel awed him even more, saying something about the boy's shyness. And of one of his habits, his pickiness as she glanced down as see him pushing and avoiding the mushrooms of his risotto.
"I miss those times when I was with you, collecting souls together."
"We do it occasionally. Arthur was a bit erked by it though."
"Only for a couple of days at first, he found out the relationship dynamic was of a brother and sister so he wasn't bother by it anymore." Gretel let out a sigh, she placed her elbow on the table and rested her cheek with her hand. "He worries too much."
"Yeah…" Noct muttered, internally awkwardly laughing.
As much as Gretel was the best matchmaker in her field, she remained oblivious to a certain male's feelings. Although that man preferred it to stay that way.
"I have shift in 30 minutes." Noct said as he check for the time on his watch, as he pushed his black sleeves a bit. He had already finished his lunch and snacks.
"Be on task Noct, you can sleep afterwards." Gretel teased the black haired boy of another of his traits, his want for sleep.
"Yes, yes." Noct nodded off, he rose up from his seat, already dressed in his reaper uniform that Gretel designed. A loose black trench coat with a hood and high collar. Gretel watched as Noct went into the distance, heading towards for the Department's main building so he could collect his list of souls waiting to be reaped.
At the moment she divert her chartreuse phosphorescent eyes away from Noct's figure, a new reaper joined the table.
"Hello William, how has my main senior been lately?" Gretel greeted the taller and older male. He was dressed in all black suite, with a matching tie and polished shoes which were the typical uniform and colours associated with the Department. In his arms were files, the blonde girl could only assume that it both contain recent and old papers.
It was a wonder of how Gretel managed to enter William's heart and spot of 'daughter'. If it were any other person, like Grell then they would had received a glare and extra paperwork duties. But since this was Gretel, it was completely fine. Although she was faced to deal with a jealous Grell too many times that she lost count.
But she had fun messing around with the red cladded reaper. She would say to him, "Sorry Grell but William need to see me right now. He wants to get fitted for his new clothes~" And she then would proceed to ignore the humorous curses sent upon her from him.
She had already she prepared an order for coffee for the tired and currently agitated reaper of the Dispatch Management Division. "What is it this time?" She asked as she tore up her scones in half
"Demons, we had a batch of souls stolen." William spoke in his deadbeat tone. "Awful and disgusting creatures, they used any chances to create chaos for the sake of their boredom. Before proceeding to leech whatever comes out of it as a mean of survival."
He began ranting. Gretel knew why he was angry, since this would force him to do extra paperwork even he didn't have any direct involvement. She nodded to his words as he led the conversation.
Not that she minded though, she would always be there to help her senior.
"I see. All the more better for the Scientific Divisions to hurry and create substitutes for human souls." Gretel mused, spreading jam and cream onto her scones. "And since demons don't have a digestive systems, maybe we have a chance to save those souls."
And a reaper waitress came back with a tray in her arms, placing down a cup of coffee on the table and Gretel gave her thanks to the waitress. "Coffee?" She turned to William.
William smiled back. "Thank you." It was a wonder of how Gretel can make the emotionless and aloof reaper smile.
And Grell attempted to burn a hole through her head from his hiding spot.
As Gretel would worked in the fields of England for her shifts, she had collected the last of her soul and decided to spent the rest of her time in her room. Currently the time for her, through the British clock was late into the night. She worked hard on design William 's new suit.
It was proven to be a mighty challenge for the great tailor and matchmaker reaper. He wanted no flashy appearances, it was basically his way of saying 'I want the same look.' So all she did was it make the suit easier to move around in but it still retained its original look which didn't satisfied her. Although from a clear distance away, she could hear screams.
"…" She rose from her seat, she stayed quiet as she stared at her door. She then froze as she stretched when she heard some noise at her door.
"Knock, knock." A bang or two on the door came from outside.
Gretel knew who it was, she got up from her seat, dressed in her night gown and walked over to the door. She slowly opened it, to reveal Noct in his black pyjamas, clutching his pillow tightly, behind his glasses were red-shot eyes. Gretel noticed a very faint tear trail marked down his soft cheeks.
"Hi Gretel…" he smiled weakly, his hair seen better days but then again he barely flattened his bed hair in the first place.
"Nightmare?" Gretel softly asked, it was something she knew too well then she would like. She welcomed Noct into her room and closed the door behind when he walked in.
"Sorry for bothering you…" Noct whispered under his breath, but it was loud and clear for the blonde haired reaper.
Gretel shook her head, "Nonsense." And she knew the perfect thing to distant Noct. "Just in time, I need some insight."
"Insight?" The tone in Noct's voice improved a bit, replacing the sadness and fear with curiosity. Noct's head perked at that, that along with his bed-hair bouncing upwards which was difficult to resist from patting it down.
"Yes, sadly for William's request is for simpler yet formal clothes. But this mean that it would look just like any other boring suit set." Gretel let out a sigh, "I feel that my creativity is slipping away."
"Tea?" Gretel asked as she wandered to her kitchen area, holding up her Wedgwood blue-white teacup in the air delicately and observing it.
"No thank-you." Noct pushed down the offer and yet Gretel smiled.
"Good, I can't make good tea as Arthur's." Gretel chirped, putting her tea-set back into the cupboard carefully, her smile widened further when she glanced back to see Noct smiling and chuckling to himself.
"How about, you give him a second gift?" Noct suggest, he hovered above the table and looked over the design plans. "You give him what he asked and something extra."
"…" Gretel didn't response back to his suggestion and the black haired teen feared that he said something wrong.
"Oh my innocent Kitten, you are a genius!" Gretel cheered, she rushed over to Noct to hug him tightly and then giving him quick kisses on both of his cheeks.
She then dashed over to her design, "And I know just the colour too."
"Is it going to bright?" Noct wiped the kissed off from his cheeks.
"Of course." Gretel sang as she scribed down her notes
"That tie is so going to be red and polka dotted." Noct smirked to himself.
That night, all thoughts of nightmares were erased from the two minds and they slept a dreamless night in each other arms. It was clear that the relationship was mutual but not one of romanticism, Noct saw Gretel as a paternal figure and elder sister while Gretel saw Noct resembling of a little brother. His attempts on cooking reminded her too much of her other half.
When Arthur walked into her room, as he would like to prepare her breakfast and as Gretel liked how the blonde hair brewed her tea. He walked back at the dining table and saw a gift-wrapped box that covered half of the table.
He saw Noct cuddling in her arms, he would be irked as it went against all social rules they once lived by but they lived in the Department. These rules they once lived in won't matter in a couple more decades anyway. And Noct wasn't doing it to take advantage of his lady.
Another tear rained down Noct's pale cheeks, Arthur leaned down and gently wiped the tear away, unconsciously it made Noct smiled.
Gretel was right, Noct was 'touch-starved'. Noct was one a sickly child, bed-ridden and guilt-ridden as well in his human life. It was cruel that in this new second of his, that he has a body that those humans would consider to be god-like.
Free from social expectations, from his sickly body and yet the boy retained to his nightmares. Nightmare he won't explain to the pair but Gretel never had a second thought but to comfort him. Like how Arthur did whenever Gretel had her nightmares. And eventually, six years into his time as a reaper that he had a mental breakdown and more to come.
Gretel stirred a bit, as she rose up from her bed while Noct soundly asleep. She turned to Arthur although all she saw was a blurred mess of greens, yellows and blacks meshed together. She knew that it was Arthur due to the shape of his jawline. It retained its shape, even though a reaper's near-sighted eyes.
She clumsily grabbed her rectangular glasses where its arms were white from the night still. "Arthur? Is that you?
"Arthur? Oh! Good morning." Gretel fumbled though her words, as leaned to the side and slipped down the bed. Luckily, Arthur rushed to her side and wrapped around her torso, keeping her from making contact with the floor.
"Thank-you Arthur." She said, she wanted to whine from the loss of warmth as Arthur unwrapped his arms as she propped herself properly.
"How did it go?" She asked as she stretched out her arms, Noct still slept with no problems and didn't stir one bit.
"Very well." He answered, he started the blend for this morning would be a Jackson earl grey.
"Can I have a name?" Gretel chirped, already casting away the tiredness of the morning down the drain with her bright yet cheekily smile.
"He chose to keep his first name." Arthur answered, building up the anticipation, knowing that Gretel would beg for more.
"Which is? You can't keep me waiting."
"Ignis." Arthur finally said, he placed the tea set on the tray and along with its side dishes of scones, croissants and toast.
"Ummmmm." Gretel hummed to herself, she clapped her hands and pressed it on her lips.
"And no, you can't match him off right now. You haven't even met the boy yet."
"You can't stop me now or once I see him with my two eyes."
Arthur let out the first sigh in the morning.
What Arthur didn't know before Gretel went asleep as Noct always went first, he whispered out a name.
"Breakfast for two?" Arthur asked, holding up the tray to display the selections.
EXTRA
After years
Grell launched himself to a dark haired reaper whose hair was slinked back. "Oh William! You are looking as smashing as ever-" William took a step to the slip and let Grell crash to the floor.
William didn't even took a glance at the red cladded reaper and proceeded to walk off, intending to get ready for his dispatch mission in London. Sadly another obstacle came his way, albeit it wasn't annoying as Grell Sutcliffe.
And he already had to deal with cleaning up the reaper's mess, he was happy enough that Grell was undergoing punishment for the Ripper incident.
"I never thought you would own such flashy clothes." Ronald mused to himself, as colourful as it were, it suited the cold reaper of the Dispatch Management division. The yellow and sparkly texture of his jacket, the pale tea green and his red polka dotted tie. Another thing that strangely fits is the pink slacks.
"I thought it was fitting to help me gather attention." William reasoned, fitting his glasses back his with middle finger.
"I never thought that you would ever wear it!" Another voice cried out, but this time William considered it to be endearing. After all, it did came from his daughter. Gretel rushed to his side and gasped on his glove hands.
He thanked Gretel again for helping him in his soon mission, and it was an extra gift that Gretel and Noct made. "I thought it was fitting for my new dispatch, I will be investigating-" And Gretel quickly cut her main senior off.
"A circus, Noct told me. As much as it pains me that you would wear this to get into a circus." Gretel said, she let out a fake tear and a pouty face. William gently rubbed her tear off with his thumb.
"I'm just happy that you even wore it." Gretel let out a wide smile.
"Of course Gretel designed it." Ronald said to himself as he watched the conversation between a father and daughter. He glanced to his red cladded senior. "And she be the one that captures his rare smiles."
And also, adding more fuel to Grell's jealously.
Next time on Until the Day I'm Forgiven.
"It was happy spell of course."
"And we are out of Kunugigoako town!"
"Hey Noct! Come in, we haven't started yet."
"It gives you more reason to confess."
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