AN: The reason this chapter is late is because my sister was made to attend band camp from early in the morning to late at night, which made her unable to write her half of this chapter. BTW, I know that this chapter has a lot of OC action but our next chapter won't. - Madame Stephanie
In all of his time working for the Ministry of Hades, William had heard some very strange rumours, but the rumour he had heard today was one of the strangest. He was certain that no one but Grell could sleep in a fountain, he knew that he couldn't, it was hard enough for him to sleep in a bed. He stepped outside into the bright sunlight of the early morning and squinted to see until his eyes had adjusted. It all came into focus then, the green of the trees and surrounding grass and the white of the stone pathway and fountain with its clear water that shined a silver-gold in the sun. It was cold though, there was not a trace of the warmth of summer, and he could see the common, wet dew was now frost on the leaves and blades of grass. He looked forward into the fountain and saw an expected but strange sight.
It was white, but it was hard to see under the red that gave way to the sway of the water and brushed against the parts of his body that were submerged. William approached to see more, and he saw a thin, white material now clear with exposure to water clinging to the flesh that was above the surface and following his hair underneath. He was able to inhale through the little of his nose that was not underwater and exhale through his mouth which released his breath as bubbles in a small, gurgling sigh. As close as William was, he could see every shape and curve of his feminine body and the tight, scarlet underwear that was so unusual from what normal men and women would wear and was so... attractive. William knew that he would never see it on anyone but Grell, and although it was very inappropriate and to some even offensive, he almost liked it.
He was like a mermaid, he had heard so many stories of mermaids, but he had never known just what they looked like until now. William was aware though that Grell could not stay there, it was too cold, and it might even be dangerous. He also became aware then of the voices and laughter beside him, and he turned to look and saw more than one person watching the mermaid of the fountain from a distance and with amusement as though he were an animal at a zoo. It made him... angry, why hadn't they done anything to wake him? It was as if they weren't aware of how dangerous this was for him, but what made him even angrier is that even if they were aware, they had done nothing to help. He frowned and asked the person next to him, "You, what are you doing here?"
"Hi, William! What do you mean?"
"What I mean, is why haven't you woken him? William decided that he didn't care if they called him William or Mister Spears just now.
"There was no reason to, he looked happy there."
William let out a sigh of frustration; he didn't have time for this. "You're an idiot." He looked away to Grell again to wake him and saw that while he had been distracted, Grell had woken and was now sitting up and wringing out his hair.
William approached to the edge of the fountain then with a concerned expression, "Grell? Are you alright? Come with me, I'll take you to a shower." William did not need to say that fountain water was unclean; he could see leaves in the water and a leaf in Grell's hair, who was staring at him with wide eyes and a concerned expression. He took a step back as Grell made to get out of the fountain but was surprised when Grell, instead of coming with him, made to run away from him in the opposite direction of the Ministry of Hades. With a frown William reached and took Grell's arm before he was too far away and held him back, he couldn't run very far very fast in his stiff, cold body. He felt Grell struggle against him but eventually become limp when he realised that he couldn't escape from his manager. With this realisation he gave William a pleading look as if he were asking for him to let go.
It was understandable that William was unsympathetic, as it was for Grell's own good, William looked him over now – in his once-white nightgown now sopping and translucent that revealed even better than before when he was sleeping in the fountain the supple, luscious frame of his feminine body, with his hair drenched and clinging to his head and body as it shined in the sun and reflected its rays on the water that dampened it, and his slender, angular face and bright eyes that followed William's own lusting eyes up and down his revealed body and blushed a scarlet as vivid as his hair and undergarments in realisation - He made a small sound of discomfort and tried, once again, to escape William's grasp. It was this sudden reaction that brought William back to his senses, and he scorned himself silently for his actions, he looked away with an almost-unnoticeable pink blush of his own as he demanded that Grell follow him inside and indicated this with a small tug.
He took Grell to the nearest public bathroom and told him to shower, that included cleansing his body and hair and behind his ears for extra good measure, he also told him to be quick about it. Grell listened to his short lecture awkwardly as he stood trembling and revealed waiting for the time when William would tell him he could leave to take his shower. As his manager, William of course recognised and acknowledged Grell's desperation for the feel of hot, clean water for his frozen body and soap, but had to make sure to go over all of the important parts. He was and still was worried for his well-being, he asked Grell again if he could move all of his limbs and digits, and Grell once again nodded reluctantly after flexing them all. William dismissed him then, and waited outside the bathroom with the appearance of a patient person, but with the attitude of an impatient person. He ignored anyone who waved or acknowledged him as he waited for Grell outside of the door.
...
If you were to ask William, he would tell you that there was nothing definite he could say about the way that Grell smelt, it varied on the day and time of day. Now, though, Grell smelt of lavender soap and perfume and gentle coconut. William did not care for coconut, but lavender was his favourite scent, the candles on his desk and the lotion in his drawer were all lavender scented. When he was stressed, the purple glow of his candles calmed him and the cold silk of his lotion relaxed him, the way that Grell's delicate scent that filled the room, or his office, brought him clarity. He signed his name in perfect, ornate cursive on another thoroughly-read document as he thought about more than just Grell's scent, but Grell himself. What was his attachment to the young man that he had felt since their first encounter, for which Grell was not alive to remember?
It had been because he had pitied Grell, who had been at the time so young and innocent, and had died so gruesomely and so alone. It had been because he was such an attractive child and so much would have been wasted with his death that for all of those reasons and something more William kept his soul on hold and close at hand as he carried the flesh it had inhabited back to the Ministry to be remade, reborn, and reanimated. He still remembered the warmth of his still body that he had lifted into his arms only minutes after its death, the damp material of the cloth he used to clean him once he was in the creation room of the Ministry, and the stainless steel of the scalpel he used to dissect and replace more than his corneas but faulty organs. he remembered the preserving fluid he had injected into him to keep his body from stiffening or his blood from congealing as he made him into what he was now, the water and nutrients he used to rejuvenate and replenish what dehydration and starvation had taken from him, and even the magic he used to restore his body from the sunken wasteland it was to an ample beauty that he did not take full care of now. What he remembered with the most fondness was the time when he was ready to be given life, how he had placed his hands over his still heart and gave him the surge of energy he needed, after which he inhaled sharply and opened his eyes to see the face of the man he thought was an angel...
William looked up from his finished paperwork after he had set it to the side to look at Grell, who sat in a chair in front of him colouring what Grell had told him was a card of appreciation for the break that he was giving him to recover. The scratching of the colours on paper on the hard surface of a book was a strangely pleasant sound. He smiled fondly, but Grell didn't notice because he was busy with his card, he could not help but feel that he was responsible for the life he had given or even created in a sense. It was one of few things he liked about his job, the feeling of fulfilment when he successfully brought another life into this world that would have been snuffed out like the flame of a candle if it hadn't been for his interference. Grell was his most beloved, but also his greatest disappointment, he remembered the first few years of his new life when they had overcome so many obstacles and spent the time in-between in a monotonous bliss. He had even been his most successful worker for a number of years, which was difficult to imagine now.
It was then when Grell told William he had dreamed that he was his father, after he had woken him from a nap, that William confessed to him that it was strange, but he had dreamed and even come to imagine that Grell was the child he had lost in his human life. Grell began to call William his 'baba' not long after that conversation, and the name had stuck. Grell told William often that he was his baba, and even though it was true, William hadn't told Grell in a long time that he was his baby. But what made this situation more unusual for William was that he felt more for Grell than the paternal instinct of a father, but a physical attraction that could even be described as sexual. Was it wrong for him to feel that way about the man he viewed as his child? He knew that Grell felt likewise, but he felt that that wasn't enough to justify his actions.
William was deep in his thoughts when he heard an unexpected knock at the door of his office. He frowned in thought of who it might be before he bid them to come in.
Rachael Brown casually opened the door to William's office, shutting it softly behind her before approaching the Dispatch Manager's desk. She held a thin folder to her chest, which contained an important document from the Council that required William's signature of approval – which was why she was here to bring it to him.
Once Rachael was close enough to comfortably pass the folder on to William, she noticed unexpectedly, Grell Sutcliff sitting in one of the two chairs placed before his desk. He was apparently designing another card for William. This normally wouldn't have bothered her, as she often saw Grell here during the afternoon - but it was far too early in the morning for any dispatcher to have finished their mission. She was curious if Grell had an appropriate reason to be here, or if he was slacking off again, because what he was doing could hardly be called productive. Rachael looked away from Grell, turning her attention to William instead – who was now watching her curiously.
"Why isn't Grell working?" Grell hadn't bothered to acknowledge Rachael's presence or the mentioning of his name, he merely continued to busy himself with his card for William as if she weren't there. While he was doing this he listened to the attractive hum of William's voice as he explained to Rachael how he had found Grell sleeping in a fountain, and after he had showered was giving him a short break to recover in his office.
Rachael found it rather unnecessary that William kept Grell here any longer – as he seemed to be physically fine. If he hadn't been earlier then that would have been a suitable reason to keep him here, but it was obvious now that he was capable of working and should be working on something productive, instead of wasting his work hours on something he could be doing during his leisure. "Well, perhaps he should return to the workroom, I assume he has recovered by now." Rachael used her eyes to look over at Grell, noticing that she had now caught his attention for the first time after she had entered.
Grell knew that he didn't need to be here anymore, but he also knew that he wanted to be here, especially in comparison to being in the workroom. He almost always placed his wants over his needs, though he often didn't even realise it. The shinigami didn't think about a lot of the things he did, or the consequences that would follow them. He also didn't really realise why he did those things – it was a strong trait of his to act almost entirely on impulse.
Grell frowned and sighed inwardly, he wished that Rachael hadn't come into William's office at all. She really needed to keep herself out of other people's business; it seemed to him that she was very nosy, and she acted as if she were better than William. Grell didn't know Rachael very well, so she could be different, but that was the impression he had of her. To Grell, William was the most intelligent and mature person he knew – whenever he bothered to pay attention as William lectured him about something, about half-way through it he would usually be in awe of how logical and wise William was.
The shinigami's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of William's voice ordering him to return to the workroom – which was probably influenced by Rachael while he had been musing. Grell really didn't want to go back to work; he felt a sudden impulse to defend himself as if his happiness had been attacked. "…B-But I can't go, Will! I haven't finished my card for you yet!"
William sighed, as if he weren't in the mood to argue with Grell, and told him apathetically that he could stay here to finish his card - but however long he stayed was going to have to be made up later by working overtime.
Grell didn't know what to say, that was probably the best he was going to get out of William, and – judging by the way he had said it – his didn't seem very happy about it. The shinigami didn't think he had done anything to make him unhappy; maybe it had been the way he had reacted? Perhaps William was hoping that he would just leave without resistance, but couldn't that also mean that he didn't want him in his presence at all? Grell didn't know, but he often assumed things, and came to his own conclusions; he based them off observations – since he was a rather observant person. Perhaps he had become that way because of William, who was so hard to understand because he hardly ever expressed himself through words, which made Grell have to guess what he was thinking or why he may have reacted a certain way.
But Grell didn't think it was fair – why should he have to be punished for wanting to express his appreciation? He hated working overtime, and he didn't want to slop together his card to make sure he didn't get too much of it. Maybe he should just leave; he wasn't going to be able to make his card perfect without having a lot of time to make up. Grell picked up his Madame Missy which had been sitting beside him, and stood up from the chair he had been seated in. "I'm going to leave, Will."
Grell left William's office and stood outside his door in the hallway. He leaned against the wall, instead of going to the workroom right away he decided he would stay here for a little while. He wondered what William was thinking right now, did he care at all that he left? He probably didn't, since he was the one who asked to leave in the first place. Grell looked down at his unfinished card, he wondered if William even cared about this one. He knew William liked his cards - because whenever he gave him one he would surprisingly show some appreciation, but he had given him so many cards in the past, it made him wonder if his even valued his new ones. If that were true, then William could probably care less about the card he was holding now…
"Stupid Rachael, stupid William…" Grell mumbled to himself. If Rachael hadn't come in and intruded on William's business, then he wouldn't be out here and his card wouldn't have become worthless. If William hadn't listened to Rachael and let her decide how to deal with his situations, then this wouldn't have happened either – and now his card was just a piece of trash! The shinigami found himself tearing it in half; there was no point to it anymore, so it didn't really matter what happened to it.
"What was that, Grell?" Grell looked over in the direction of the voice, seeing that Caleb was approaching him. He felt suddenly frightened, remembering how he had recently been tossed around by Caleb and his friends as if were being used to play catch with. He attempted to hide his fear behind a somewhat calmer expression, knowing that showing any kind of weakness could be a cause of further harassment – which was something he hoped to avoid.
"It was nothing, why do you care?" Grell said in a slightly nervous tone. He assumed from the small smirk on Caleb's face that he had detected his uneasiness, which he couldn't understand what was so amusing about.
"I don't." Caleb said bluntly.
"Then… Why did you ask?" Grell didn't understand why he would bother asking about something he didn't care to know the answer to.
"It doesn't matter, Grell, why do you care?" Grell didn't see where this conversation was going, it was pointless, and slightly annoying for him - Caleb probably only asked his first question just to get his attention and had no purpose other than that. The shinigami considered simply leaving, but there was something he wanted to do more. He shortened the distance between Caleb and himself, holding his doll to him while he turned his charm on with a pretty smile.
"Do you remember all of those times you called me attractive, Cookie? A long time ago when I was new here and you persistently tried to woo me on sight? You told me so many nice things, why don't you tell me a few now?" Caleb appeared dumbfounded from Grell's actions and quickly took a step back – though once he was at an appropriate distance from Grell he seemed to be able to collect himself enough to speak.
"You mean the time when you were practically mute and followed William around like a duckling? Get over the past, freak; I'm very different now from the way I was back then. I find it pathetic how you have to remind yourself of long past events to feel better about yourself in the present." Caleb wondered why he even wanted to hear that, it's not like anything he said ever mattered to Grell. Ever since he met Grell, he had showed no interest in him, the only person he even cared about at the time was his cold-blooded manager. Caleb had tried so hard to get his attention with sweet words and occasional gifts, but he never got anywhere with him. Then eventually people started ridiculing him about it…
It wasn't fair, why was Grell so set on someone who rarely ever showed interest in him? Especially while there was someone else who was practically engrossed with him, and made it obvious. Then again, why was he so set on Grell when he showed absolutely no interest in him? Though he expressed himself in a different way than he had back then, why did he still bother to try? He focused his attention on Grell, who appeared to be deep in thought. What was it that he liked about Grell so much?
"Apparently you've changed a lot too since then." Caleb said, "You were much more innocent, especially with your attempts at receiving attention. Now you seem to have become a bit desperate, if you're asking for it from me of all people. Do you miss the time when William would give you attention? I think he's lost interest in you, Grell, sometimes I wonder if anyone will ever be interested in you enough to be your lover. Personally, I think you're hopeless."
"Y-You're wrong, Caleb. I have a lover…" Grell said in a small voice. Caleb seemed confused by this and wore a look of disbelief.
"Don't lie to me, luvvie, I know you're acting. No one-"
"I'm not!" Grell slid his ring off his finger and shoved it in Caleb's face. "His name is Sebastian and he gave this to me, it even has his name engraved in it." Grell watched anxiously as Caleb stared at the ring for a few seconds, before he felt his back violently shoved into the wall behind him, causing him to drop it.
"I've never heard of a Sebastian around here. Is he a human? Are you trying to pull off some forbidden love rubbish by being with one? You know we're not allowed to have relationships outside of the ministry. So, Grell, do you love him? Is he all you ever dreamed of? Do you think you're going t-"
"Caleb!" Caleb froze, did Rachael really just catch him in this situation? "What are you doing? Let go of Grell this instant!" Caleb quickly removed his hands from Grell's shoulders and backed away. He watched Grell uncomfortably as he immediately picked up his ring from the floor, before turning his head to look at Rachael.
Rachael let out a distressed sigh, she didn't bother to look at Caleb. "Just how many times am I going to have to punish you before you leave Grell alone? I already disciplined you recently for harassing Grell in the lunchroom. What am I going to do with you? Do you even care that by doing this you're making William get frustrated with me?" Rachael turned her head to look at Grell. "I'm sorry again, Grell. Could you inform William about this? I just left his office, and I don't really feel up to facing him again when something like this had already happened so recently." With that, Rachael took Caleb's wrist and began to walk away with him towards her office.
Grell had examined his ring thoroughly for damage before placing it back on his finger. He was relieved to be saved from Caleb, but now he had to go tell William about it. The shinigami normally didn't tell William about his problems, but he had no choice now because he had been ordered to by a higher authority. Grell held his doll to him with one arm, and used his other one to open the door to William's office.
He walked into the room and sat down in one of the chairs in front of William's desk. His manager probably hadn't been expecting him to come back so soon, so he knew that he was probably waiting for an explanation. Though Grell still felt a bit nervous from before, Caleb had been acting pretty scary earlier.
"Rachael wanted me to inform you that Caleb was harassing me again…"
