After living for as long as William had, the decades would speed by, only a distant blur of distorted pictures. Completing missions and infiltrating groups came second hand to him. He never made friends, he never got attached, he never even remembered the names or the faces of the souls he would eventually reap. His role was that of a Grim Reaper, nothing else.

He was cold towards humans. They were below him on the food chain. He saw them more as animals than as individuals. The only time he could ponder humanity was when he would sit and watch their cinematic records. But still, he wouldn't get attached and would forget them soon after.

He would pass judgement on to those reapers who would break the code of neutrality, like Grelle Sutcliff. William could not picture a world in which a human could touch his heart, which he reserved only for his pigeons which he kept lovingly inside his house. There was no room left, after all the time he spent reaping souls and detaching himself from humanity. That was no longer his life, or his place. His role now was to be a Grim Reaper, and that was his only ambition for the rest of his days only he could finally make up for his sin.

William T Spears approached the human Circus which stank of demons from a mile away. He could sense the death that was quickly approaching and held his to die list in his hand. He would spend time with this circus as they took lives until their lives would eventually be taken in turn. It was just like any other mission, and William T Spears was cold. He was ready to get this over with.

"So, you were a civil servant, huh?" The strange redheaded man with a skeletal arm asked. According to William's to-die list, this man had no given birth name. He did know, however, that this man was the ringleader of the Circus. He also knew that the man was twenty five and would be killed by blood loss after his arm would be chopped off in Baron Kelvin's manor in three weeks time.

William stood outside what he had assumed was the main tent for performances. He was surrounded by a strange group of Circus folk, whose real names were all on his to-die list. He noted each one as he looked over them, one by one.

A black haired woman with quite a risque costume next to the redhaired man; Mally Peterson, aged twenty three, to be killed by an explosion in the Phantomhive household.

Two child sized performers who he knew to be trapeze artists; Richard and Gwendolyn Davidson, siblings, aged twenty five and twenty six respectively. Gwendolyn was to be killed by a gunshot to the head at the Phantomhive manor. Richard was to be killed by multiple fatal shots to his head and abdomen inside the Phantomhive manor, in three weeks time.

A blond and black haired fellow who slightly reminded William of his coworker, Ronald Knox, clung closely to the black haired woman; Louis Pendleton, aged twenty two, to be killed by multiple bullet wounds from a machine gun. Apparently, his death would not be quick.

An extremely large man stood behind the red haired man. He seemed suspicious of William, and took a protective stance; Gustave Fischer, aged twenty seven, to be killed via blunt force to his head and abdomen in the Phantomhive manor.

Last but not least, was a young girl with brown hair who casually leaned against a railing. She looked bored; Charlotte Mulligan, aged sixteen, to be killed via a stab to the heart outside Baron Kelvin's manor.

All of these deaths were scheduled three weeks from the day he arrived, on February 9th, 1889. In the meantime, William was to reap the souls of the police officers and bystanders that the Circus troupe was scheduled to kill. For the time being, he was forced to blend in and be apart of the troupe. It would be a taxing experience, he could already tell.

He answered the man's question. "That is correct, I did in fact work as a civil servant prior to coming here. I'm looking for a change of pace, now."

"Blimey, I can't say it's much of a step up for you," The redhead man said, shrugging his head in disbelief. "Are you sure you want to join us? I wouldn't want to take you away from a much better payin' opportunity. We don't 'ave much to give ya, you see."

"Quite sure, I've spent some time thinking about it," William answered, pushing up his glasses with his death scythe. The brown haired girl eyed him as he did this, seemingly bewildered by his scythe.

"Well, you'll have to audition first," The black haired woman said, stepping forward. "High stature or not, if you want to join you must be able to perform, right Joker?"

"Big sis is right," The blond haired man said. "You'll have to show us what we got."

"Another rookie, eh?" The brown haired girl asked. "With those tense shoulders and big frown on your face, I have to say, I'm skeptical."

"Now, now, Doll," The redhead man said. "We give everyone a chance here, remember?"

"No one left behind," The brown haired girl, Doll, said back, seemingly as an automatic response. She stuck out her tongue at the redhead man. He stuck out his in return. The light heartedness of the group was definitely a surprise for a group of cold blooded killers, William noted in his mind. They all seemed to be good friends, who were comfortable with each other. It made William uncomfortable. It had been decades since he had been close to anyone.

"Alright, rookie, show us what you got," Doll said. William pushed up his glasses in annoyance. The redheaded man lead the way into a training tent. William followed, with the rest of the first-tiers of the troupe trailing behind him. Given his enhanced physical ability because of his position as a Reaper, William knew it wouldn't be hard for him to make a lasting impression. He auditioned, and was met with an applause. The troupe looked speechless, all except for the redheaded man and Doll, who looked excited.

"I think we found a new backup for Peter and Wendy, eh? Welcome to the Circus!" The redheaded man said. "S'pose I should introduce the group now, shouldn't I? My name's Joker. This is Beast, Dagger, those two are Peter and Wendy, this is Jumbo, and this is Doll, our Circus Princess. I'm sure you will meet Snake around here sometime, he's a first stringer like us. He isn't the social type, you see."

Each Circus member gave him a small hello or a wave, but Doll walked straight up to him and struck out her hand.

"Are you sure you haven't done this before? You were incredible! You've given all of us a run for our money, eh? You could take this old man's job when he retires, which I'm sure will be quite soon" She said, gesturing to Joker, extending the syllable on the word 'quite.' William hesitantly shook the girls hand to keep up the image.

"Hey!" Joker said, in response. "I doubt he's much older than I am. How old are you, anyway? And sorry, I don't believe we caught your name."

"My name is William T. Spears, and I'm thirty five years old," William said. It was a lie. He was much, much older than that.

"Looks like he's older than me, Dolly, and by quite a bit might I add," Joker said, with a shrug. He placed a hand on Doll's head.

"Darn it," Doll said to Joker. "Blimey, is that all one word?"

William was taken aback. He had never met someone who had asked that about his name. It seemed childish, but also quite innocent. Oddly innocent for a murderer. "No, my first name is William. The T in my name stands for Thomas, and Spears is my last name."

Doll nodded her head, not quite taking in the information. "Well you look like a proper businessman, so perhaps your name should be like, that, too! Joker, what do you think about Suit?"

"I think it's perfect. Mr. Spears?" Joker asked, though William had the sneaking suspicion that he had no choice in the matter.

"Suit will do nicely," William responded.

"Ha! Finally I got to choose a name!" Doll said, cheerfully. She thrust a fist up in the air, earning an eye roll from Joker. "Alright, want me to give you the grand tour? I've gotta introduce you to everyone and show you the grounds!"

"My job, Doll," Joker snickered, putting his skeletal hand on her shoulder. "You can help, if you want."

Gabriel Hargreeves, aged 42, killed via a stab wound produced by Charlotte Mulligan, four days from now.

Of course William knew that not all killers looked the part, but this girl really didn't fit the description he had thought of. The others in the group, maybe. Beast's eyes were defensive and angry, Dagger's happy demeanor seemed mildly fabricated, Jumbo definitely fit his vision of a killer and Peter and Wendy seemed to be hiding something. Even Joker, as happy as he seemed, had his eyes betray a darkness inside of him. But Doll? There was a genuine sweetness to her.

But the Do-Die list never lied.

The young girl followed Joker out of the tent, and gestured for William to follow after her. William felt that this was going to be a long three weeks for him. Time moved relatively fast for him, but having to deal with so many children and strange Circus people sounded like a headache. Plus he would have to keep up appearances the entire time he was there.

"That's the dining tent. Oh, and that's the showers," The young girl said, pointing to various tents as they walked. Joker laughed and rolled his eyes as they walked.

"Sorry about her. I think she's just excited to meet someone of a higher class than us folk, especially someone so talented. She's usually a handful and pretty friendly, but I don't think she's ever tried to take over my job like this," Joker chuckled. He looked at her affectionately, which felt perplexing to William. These Circus people sure were close.

"Not an issue," William said. He had hardly noticed, or cared. Although her excitement and playfulness did remind him faintly of one Ronald Knox. He brushed the idea aside. He had a certain fondness for the younger Grim Reaper, despite his inadequacy. He reminded him of his youthful days, even though those memories were now quite faint.

"And this is where you'll be sleeping! We'll get you a roommate in no time," Doll said, reaching a series of tents meant for second string performers. "We're getting so full, Joker! I bet soon enough we'll be able to take our troupe all across Europe."

"I highly doubt that, Dolly," Joker laughed, ruffling her hair. "It's a nice thought, though."

A nice thought, but they were scheduled to die in less than a month, William mused. If the girl knew how little time she had left, she would realize she had no time for dreams that big. But she was quite young, and young people tended to dream more. William didn't dream at all. His only ambition now was to be an exceptional Reaper, a prime example of professionalism for the younger generation who would take his place once he had made up for his sin. What else was there to dream for when you were a Grim Reaper?

"This will do," William said, though he would have preferred to stay within the comfort of his house which wasn't too far away. It was about a twenty minute ride by carriage and an hour long walk. He would miss the loving coos of his pigeons who he would lovingly stroke while reading old books of generations long gone before he went to bed. But he had to commit to his role as a Circus performer and be nearby when the time came to claim the fallens cinematic records. The next couple days would be full of death, too. So William needed to stay put.

"Great! We're just about to make dinner, now. It's the second stringers job to prepare it, though some of us first tier help out when we can," Doll said. "Be a good example and all."

"That's right, it is almost supper," Joker said. "Well, I'll let you get settled in. We'll put you to work tomorrow, but for now, have some supper and get some rest. Now you, you should be in the tent helping with dinner, shouldn't ya?"

"Whoops! I'll be there right away!" Doll said, moving quickly to the door of the tent. William let a bemused smile slip through. What a strange child.

"Thank you," William said, pushing up his glasses.

"If you need anything, give me a shout! My tent is right next to yours," Doll called, her head still poked through the entrance of his tent. "It's nice to meet'cha, Suit!"

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Miss Doll," William said, bowing his head. Doll gave him a big, toothy smile and scampered off. William settled into his tent, taking his small bag he had taken with him. It wouldn't be hard for him to go back and forth to his own house should he need some supplies. But for now, he had to adjust to living in a tent around a bunch of humans. He had to fit in, so he wouldn't reveal himself as a Grim Reaper. He began to unpack his bag, hanging up his clothes on the stand given to him. He even pulled out a book he had taken with him, for his own amusement. He only got about four chapters in before his stomach began to rumble, meaning he would be forced to interact with more mortals sooner than he'd hoped to. He sighed, taking off his suit jacket for comfort and beginning to walk towards the dining tent that Doll and Joker had shown him earlier. There were many people eating there. They were loud and cheerful, and far too chummy for William's taste. He wondered if he could just take his plate and leave. That would make these nights a little bit more bearable, if he could avoid socializing at any cost.

"Suit! Perfect timing!" A cheerful voice called out to him. He turned towards the young girl. It was the one he had met earlier, Doll. It looked like he would be roped into a conversation before he even had a chance to escape. "I was gonna start the lineup, but if you're here, I'll let you pick first, 'cause you're the newbie and all. The guys can get a little aggressive when getting their food so you have to move fast!" She began loading a plate for him, without asking what he wanted on it.

"I appreciate your advice, and for serving me first," William thanked Doll. She smiled at him in return. "Save a seat for me after I'm finished! I am on serving duty tonight. I wanna hear your story! Bein' a businessman and all, y'know? We don't get many like that around these parts."

"I suppose that's fine," William said, giving the girl a nod.

"You don't have to look so glum, you know! You're at the Circus, one of the greatest places on earth! Soon you'll lighten up, I'm sure. We've just gotta get some Circus magic going for you," She said, cheerfully. William wasn't quite sure how to respond. He didn't think he looked glum, but he definitely didn't act like the other members in the second string. Perhaps he would have to put in more acting to pass better, lest he have this young girl's attention constantly.

"I'm sure I'll cheer up with some food and sleep," William said, giving her a nod before going over to a table. He ate quickly, as to avoid conversation with any of the other Circus folk. However, instead of waiting for the young girl to come and join him like he had agreed to, once he had finished his plate he returned to his tent, and went to bed. This was going to be a long month.

William was awoken the next morning by someone entering his tent. He jumped out of his bed immediately, reaching for his death scythe defensively. Doll stood at the tent opening, looking alarmed. William sighed, and relaxed a little.

"You alright, sir? It's morning time now, time to start chores," Doll said, taking a step back. She didn't quite look frightened, but she didn't look entirely comfortable, either. "Why do you keep that gardening tool on you, anyway?"

It would be foolish to announce it as his death scythe. Even so, he didn't really have an explanation for her. "It's a family heirloom."

"What kind of heirloom is that?" Doll asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you come from a family of farmers or something?"

William sighed. "It's a long story. Did you need anything else?"

"Nah, not really. Breakfast starts in half an hour. You should head to the dining tent to help out. It's time to put our newbies to work!" Doll said, and with that, skipped off to her next activity. William sighed. When he signed up for this job, he had neglected to realize that he would have to partake in actual circus work. However, it was part of his duty as a Grim Reaper to assume any role he needed to to insert himself within the group. So up he went, putting on his suit jacket. The dining tent was quite full, like the previous night. But no matter. Soon, William would be used to the constant human chatter that he would normally try to avoid. It wasn't hard work, helping the second tiers make breakfast, easy for a Reaper like himself. But he hated having to make conversation with the others. Once the food was finished, he ate quickly, and left to begin his chores that Joker had assigned him during breakfast. He was thankful for the written list so he wouldn't have to go back and ask him after finishing each task.

Of course, it wasn't long until the annoying little girl poked her head into the tent he was working in.

"Ey, Suit!" Doll said, cheerfully. William turned and nodded at her.

"Miss Doll," He said. Doll laughed at that.

"'Miss Doll,'" She mused. "Makes me sound all fancy-like. I could get used to that!"

"Is there anything you needed?" William asked, not quite so amused at her cheerfulness. He preferred to be alone when he was working. Having constant distractions wasn't preferable. They sure seemed frequent in this job.

"I just wanted to check up on you, you see. Make sure the rookies know what they're doing," Doll said.

"I believe I'm quite alright, thank you," William said, politely. Doll nodded, and skipped out of the tent.

The next couple days were much of the same. William would work and put up with the other second string tiers, he would try on costumes and practice his performance, and most of all, Doll would check up on him every couple hours.

"Ey, Suit! How's the tent life treating ya?"

"Ey, Suit! Have you met Beast's tiger yet? Her name is Betty! She won't bite if you wanna come see her!"

"Ey, Suit! What did you think of breakfast this morning? I made it meself."

"Ey, Suit! You need any help with your routine? Let me know if ya do, I've been doing this m' whole life!"

"Ey, Suit! Ya think you could 'elp me by watchin' my routine?"

Generally, he would just brush her off politely and change the subject, but her persistence was quite remarkable. She seemed to quite enjoy William's company for reasons he didn't quite understand. He tried to give her no reason to talk to him if he could, but like clockwork, she would stroll into whatever tent he was working in armed with a new question.

"Help you with your routine? I'm sure a first tier such as yourself wouldn't need any help from me," William said, politely. "You're a first tier for a reason."

"Yeah, well, Joker says that it's necessary," Doll mused. "What he said was, if I had to ever miss a show he'd need someone to feel in for me, yeah? You have the best balance here, besides meself of course."

"I suppose I could learn your routine if that is what Joker requested," William answered.

"Awright, perfect!" Doll beamed. She led him up to the tightrope, chatting to him about a conversation she had had with Dagger earlier that morning. William only half listened to the girl ramble on. He wasn't very interested. How many days did he have left, again?

"You ready, Suit?" She asked. "It's a lil' tricky for beginners, so if you need any help at all, gimme a shout."

Doll began towards the tightrope, giving him a demonstration on how to do it. For such a bombastic and loud girl, he was surprised to see how delicately she moved on the tightrope. It caught him off guard for a moment, seeing how quickly she shifted. She moved gracefully, and rhythmically, like it truly was her calling to perform. William was impressed, taken for a moment. There was one thing that Doll could give to this performance that William could not, and that was heart. He knew that his performance would be stilted, because the Circus wasn't the real reason that he was there. He was there to collect the souls of the people that Doll and the rest of the Circus troupe would kill. He shuddered. Even as a Grim Reaper who had witnessed so much death in his life, he still found it hard to believe that Doll could kill anyone. But even so, she was scheduled to commit a murder the very next evening. Was she just a very good actress?

"Well done," He said, approvingly when she came back. She beamed at him.

"Thanks! You wanna give it a shot?" She asked.

"I suppose I must," William said, as he moved towards the tightrope. He copied what she did, exactly, movement for movement. But even so, he felt like criticizing his own performance. Did it lack energy? Inspiration? Heart? But again, he was not a performer. He returned to the platform she was standing on. Doll gave him a big, toothy grin.

"Just incredible, truly!" She said. "Wow, you're tryna steal my job now, aren't you?"

William chuckled at that. "You give me too much credit, Miss Doll. I am simply doing what was requested of me. I in no way intend to take your job from you."

Doll gave him a half hearted grin at that. "Great, well, you're off the hook for now. I'll see you when something interesting comes up!"

"See you in an hour, Miss Doll," William said back. Doll laughed at that, and climbed down the platform. She was a bit charming. Even William couldn't deny that her energy rubbed off on him, if only a tiny bit.

As soon as she was gone, William began to practice again. He wanted to perfect his performance, merely out of pure boredom and perhaps a little curiosity to see if he could do it. He worked for about an hour or two, before his nose twitched at the scent of something unusual. It was sinister, and revolting to him. With a jolt of realization, he looked down. His suspicions were correct. Right below his feet stood a familiar demon.

Now he really wasn't looking forward to his time at the Circus.

AN: Hello! Thank you if you made it this far! This is a story that is very near and dear to my heart because it's based off of an RP I did back in 2015. I still remembered it to this day so I wanted to write about it.

I made up the names for the Circus troupe aside from Mally because I thought it would be nice to give them names. This is just based on headcanon.

This story isn't meant to be shippy in any way so please don't have that expectation! It's supposed to be a very paternal bond. Lastly, this story is also up on Ao3 if you'd rather read it there! Thank you for reading