William stood watch over Ronald after they finished up with him and moved him into a private room. Night had fallen, and after getting his own mild injury treated, William went to the hotel room they were staying in to shower, change into more casual attire and bring back Ronald a change of uniform and a pair of his boxers for comfort. He called Sutcliff to update him on their status, turned in their collections and reports and he stopped for something to eat on the way back. Once he returned to the hospital, he couldn't seem to decide what to do with himself.
So he stood there in the dark, waiting for his young partner to awaken and musing over recent events. He told himself he'd fetched clothing for Ronald for practicality's sake. After all, leaving in a hospital gown when he was released would have been rather impractical, and Ronald would need the boxers to wear with his fresh uniform…unless he preferred briefs under his clothing. William hadn't taken the time to go through his bag. He simply grabbed the first pair of underwear and socks he'd seen and combined them with the uniform. They were fortunate that Dispatch had seen fit to order extras for them both. Evidently it was a difficult thing for reaper agents to avoid damaging their assigned uniforms during this war.
Ronald began to fret in his sleep, and William watched him indecisively. It wasn't in his nature to give comfort to others, yet it troubled him to see the boy sweating and writhing, his lips blurting hints of the nightmares that plagued him. After a few moments of this, the Dispatch director approached his subordinate and he leaned over him.
"Ronald Knox," he murmured, "do stop that fussing. You are safe."
It didn't seem to do much good, and William cleared his throat and looked around. For some fool reason, he was self-conscious even though he knew they were alone in the room. Nobody would see it if he offered Knox just a bit of compassion and comfort. He hesitantly reached out to stroke the younger reaper's dual-colored hair, brushing his yellow-blond bangs away from his sweat-beaded forehead.
"Ronald," he said again, placing his other hand atop the boy's. "It's over. You are going to be all right."
Ronald let out a small moan on his breath, his head turning to the right before his eyes fluttered open, slowly blinking at the blurry silhouette standing over him. A gentle hand was stroking his hair back out of his face.
He grimaced as the pain also slowly faded in to his consciousness, "Please tell me you are the angel of painkillers…"
William almost cracked a smile. "Not quite, but they have equipped your glucose drip with a morphine injector." He took his hand off Ronald's and he reached for the trigger button to give it to him. "All you need do is press down on it and it will give you a dose to ease the pain."
He sighed and stepped back, watching as Ronald pressed down on the button. "That was an impressive injury you earned, Knox. I am afraid you'll be out of commission for a couple of days, at least. The doctors say you can possibly be released as early as tomorrow, depending on how quickly you heal. Even so, you aren't to do any further field work until you've rested more. In the meantime, I suppose I shall take on assignments alone, or try to arrange for a temporary partner from within the Warsaw Dispatch. It's a small branch, so I doubt I will have any luck with that."
"Yeah…but who'll watch your back? You didn't get out unscathed, either." The blond smirked, waiting as the pain started to fade, "Sorry I made the wrong move back there…I don't remember much but I'm guessing I should have aimed lower…"
"The demon was very fast," reminded William, "and we had little time to form a solid plan of attack. All things considered, you did well. Our mission plan is to gather as many records as possible and to survive. I believe we could have done worse."
He pulled the sheets up further over Ronald's prone form in another uncommonly solicitous gesture. "Just rest and recuperate, Mr. Knox. I will be fine until you have recovered enough to rejoin me in the field."
"What are you doing here so late? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Ron asked, shifting his position slightly against the pillow. "Or do none of the medical staff speak English or Italian and you had to be here to tell me things when I woke up?"
It was on the tip of William's tongue to make the convenient excuse that Ronald had just unwittingly provided and lie to him. Instead, he smirked ruefully and looked away. "You are my underling and my partner in this endeavor," he said coolly. "As such, I have a responsibility to you. I chose to return and check in on you, before retiring for the evening. I've brought a clean uniform for you to change into when they release you…simply because you did not see fit to pack anything other than socks and underwear. I will return in the morning to check on your progress again."
He straightened his tie and adjusted his glasses. "Do try and get as much rest as you can, Ronald Knox."
"Not like I have needed anything else but socks and Boxers." Ron pointed out with a small shrug, "Are you going to be going back to the hotel, or are you going to play with my hair as I sleep again?" he smirked.
William was glad that he'd turned away at that moment, because he felt his cheeks grow warm. He was not the sort of man to blush. He paused on his way to the door and he schooled his voice into a neutral tone. "I was merely attempting to soothe your fretting before you upset your injury," he excused. "I was not 'playing with your hair'. Goodnight, Mr. Knox. I shall see you in the morning."
Ronald smiled and gave a small chuckle, "Good night. Don't miss me too much." He sighed as the door closed. 'I think he likes me.' he thought to himself as he closed his eyes to let himself drift back off to sleep.
While their companions were trying to recover from their ordeals in Poland, Eric and Alan were trying to run the office in their absence. It was driving the Scotsman crazy, and he had to wonder if Spears was completely off his nut to come in and do this every day. Everyone had questions for him or Alan. Nothing seemed to go smoothly. If it wasn't an error in death reports, it was an error with the filing…or with the death lists themselves. It appeared someone in Personnel was slacking off and sending out death lists with names on them that had already been collected.
"Och, fer tha love o'…Alan, do ya have officer Randall's folder o'er there? I told tha man tae put it on my desk. Told 'im twenty times by now tha' death reports are fer mah desk an' department reports are fer yers!"
"Hold on, let me check." Alan said shifting through the piles of folders on his own desk, "Nope, it isn't here. Sorry. But I think these belong in your pile." He handed over a stack of folders as he let out a little yawn into his free hand—which happened to be holding a pen which drew a line of black ink onto his cheek without his knowing, "And I think I need a quick pick-me-up…"
Eric noticed the mark his partner had inadvertently put on his face and his temper rapidly cooled, to be replaced by amusement. He snorted and he stood up. "I'll say ye do. Ya jus' drew on yer face, kid." Grinning, he took Alan's pen from him and he reached for a tissue from his desktop. He licked it and he began to wipe the smaller reaper's cheek off with it.
"Uhg, Eric! I could have just got it in the bathroom with soap and water!" Alan protested the spit-cleaning treatment. He looked up at Eric with his big, innocent eyes. "I thought only mothers did that!"
Still grinning, the Scotsman shrugged. He balled up the paper towel and tossed it into the trash. "Jus' takin' care of mah partner, is all." Unable to resist the cute expression on his face, he cupped Alan's chin and lowered his mouth to his for a little kiss. "Yer tha only thing keeping me sane righ' now. I've go' a new appreciation for wha' Spears does every day."
"Ah…" Alan's eyes were wider, staring up at Eric unblinkingly as his fingers moved up to touch his own shocked lips. A complete lack of words coming to them.
Eric had…kissed him? Eric Slingby—his partner—the office 'stud'—had kissed him.
He didn't even want to think about how red his cheeks had gotten.
Realizing what he'd just done, Eric's usually lazy gaze widened as well behind the blue-tinted lenses of his glasses. What was that? He'd thought about doing it before, sure, but now of all times? He blamed it on fatigue…and of course, Alan's cuteness.
"Uh, heh…" The Scotsman scratched his head self-consciously, trying to come up with some excuse. "Tha' was…spur o' tha moment. Sorry. Ya jus' looked sae cute an' I wasnae thinking straight."
He almost snorted at his inadvertent pun, and he wondered if Alan could even understand him, his accent was so thick right now. He cleared his throat and sucked his teeth in thought. "Why do ya have tae be s' damned sweet, anyway? Ah, its no' yer fault…it's mine." He made himself look into those round eyes and he smirked. "Gonna report me fer sexual harassment, Alan?"
But Alan's face only grew redder as Eric spoke, making excuses.
It wasn't that he didn't want it. After all, he couldn't say how many times he'd awoken with a hard-on due to what he'd see in his dreams. The things he'd fantasized about doing with Eric…the cold showers he'd have to endure when he got home from work after Eric had said or done something on the ride home since they normally carpooled. But he never once thought anything would actually happen! And just now Eric had…
"You…kissed me?" he whispered.
Eric nodded, bracing himself for a slap or a pinch or a lecture. "Mm-hmm. I did."
He almost started babbling more excuses, but the more he looked at his partner, the more he began to suspect the kiss wasn't entirely unwelcome…and the more he wanted to do it again. That was just a peck, really…nothing compared to the sort of kisses he usually delivered to interested parties. Alan's lips had been soft and yielding against his during that brief contact, and some devil took hold of him to see if he could push it a little further, rather than try to blow it off as a fluke.
Eric leaned in closer and he smiled lazily at the smaller man. "Want ano'er one?"
"Only…if you mean it…" Alan tried to whisper but his voice cracked from nerves.
Pleasantly surprised by the answer, Eric didn't hesitate. He cupped the back of Alan's head, dropped the pen to the floor and put his other arm around him to pull his body flush against his own. His mood went from teasing to serious as he stared into Alan's eyes for a moment, before lowering his mouth to his for another kiss…and this one was no mere peck on the lips. He hadn't fully appreciated how much he'd really been wanting this until he did it, and he felt a thrill go through him as he slipped his tongue past Alan's lips and into his mouth, kissing him with demanding passion that surprised even himself.
Alan gave a muffled gasp of surprise. He hadn't expected another kiss under the requirement of 'meaning it'. Eric was such a flirt, after all. With both men and women around the dispatch building and the occasional human while out on assignment.
But those lips were all too real. The strong lips massaging against his soft ones, the hair on his chin tickling against his hairless one, arms around his body holding him close—and the tongue…
Alan practically jumped as he began to kiss back, his arms sliding around behind the Scotsman's neck as his eyes closed. It wasn't his first kiss, but it felt like it was.
Eric ravished his mouth for several minutes, doing things with his tongue and lips that could easily make a reserved man like Alan feel violated—but Eric couldn't bring himself to stop. He hadn't expected it to have quite this effect on him, and he wondered if it was due in part to him always considering his partner off-limits. Maybe it was the thrill of kissing someone he probably shouldn't be kissing. Whatever it was, he felt like he could spend the rest of the afternoon just tasting and exploring Alan's mouth.
He made himself stop and withdraw when he caught himself trying to grind against the smaller reaper. Breathing heavily, he pulled back and he dragged his lust back into its box to seal it up tight—or at least moderately enough so as not to control him.
"Guess I meant it," he breathed, staring at that charmingly flushed, upturned face.
The brunet was left panting as if they had made mad-passionate love right there in the space between their desks. And truly, he felt as if they had in a way, with how Eric had lay claim to every inch of his mouth. And he wish it hadn't ended.
"…Eric…I…" he swallowed, trying to find his voice again.
The blond traced Alan's parted, kiss swollen lips with his thumb. He smiled crookedly at him, pleased with his stunned reaction. He was feeling a bit dizzy himself. He badly wanted to do it again, but he didn't plan any of this and he owed it to his partner to at least give him a moment to think about how he felt about it.
"So who's mah competition?" he murmured, reluctantly admitting to himself that it was entirely possible his partner already had another love interest. They generally didn't discuss such things because he got the feeling it always annoyed Alan to hear about it. Now he wondered if that was jealousy…and he realized he hated the thought of someone else kissing Alan the way he just did.
"I think…the better question is who's mine," Alan admitted after another moment of trying to find his voice. "You flirt with everyone—who are the serious ones?" He asked it, but feared the answer. Feared Eric had more he kissed with meaning.
Alan's one and only kiss had been from a drunken Ronald when he'd gone to get the party boy from the pub late one night after the bartender called around looking for someone who knew the blond who could go take him home. Ronald hadn't even remembered it. Hardly 'competition'.
Eric huffed a little and smirked wryly. "I havenae had a 'serious one' since I graduated th' academy. I go on dates a lo', sure, but there's nobody special."
"Then…can I be your next 'serious' one?" Alan asked, hopeful. "Can I become 'special?"
Eric's affection for this reaper swelled even further in response to that sweet, endearing request. He gave him a squeeze and he smiled down at him. "Pretty sure ye already are 'special' tae me, Alan…an' I think if there's anyone I'd want tae be exclusive wi', it'd be you. I jus' ne'er thought ye'd go fer me, seeing as yer so quiet natured an' responsible, an' I'm so loud an' flirty."
He combed his fingers through the smaller reaper's soft brown hair. "Think ya could handle being wi' a rogue like me? I'd like tae try, anyhow."
"Do you think I'd date myself?" Alan countered, "That would get pretty boring to be with someone too much like myself. Besides… I… have liked you for a long time, and if I can handle you as my mentor and then as my partner, then how much worse can it be as my boyfriend?" As he spoke the red in his cheeks spread to his ears.
Eric chuckled and he tweaked one of Alan's ears, stroking his thumb over the sensitive lobe. "I love tha way ya blush, Al. Makes me want tae kiss ye again. Oh, I've go' conditions, by tha way. Ye've gotta let me kiss ya like tha' at least twice a day, an' we go out on dates when we've go' tha time tae spare fer it…even if it's jus' a nice dinner now an' then…or a movie night at my place or yers."
Alan's heart skipped a beat, "I may be new to dating…but isn't going on dates a big part of it?" He asked, "But please, keep the big kisses to more…private locations. We need to maintain a professional attitude in the work place." He bit his lip and let his eyes drift down to Eric's lips that had been covering his moments before.
"I'll at least lock tha door tae th' office, next time," promised Eric with a wink, "but we've been practically living in tha office since Spears an' tha others went off tae help wi' tha war casualties. Gotta get mah kisses in somehow, sweetheart."
"There is also before and after work." Alan pointed out, though he found himself pulling himself up to steal another kiss himself, his lips pressing against Eric's.
The taller reaper put his arms around him and deepened the kiss, unable to help himself. He lifted Alan in his arms, his tongue again pushing into his mouth to make love to his. He didn't mean to let it go that far again, but gods help him, the taste and feel of his partner was everything and more he'd ever imagined it would be. After ravishing his mouth anew for a few moments, he set him back down and reluctantly broke the kiss.
"Fer someone tha' wants tae save tha kissing fer off-work hours," he teased breathlessly, "yer kinda smoochy."
"Give me a break! I'm new to this. And you are a whole lot better at it than an overly drunk Ronald that I am trying to get to go home before he'll further regret partying so much." Alan rested his head against Eric's shoulder and slowly inhaled his manly scent. "…And I've dreamed of this…"
Eric chuckled. "If I'd known tha', I woulda kissed ye a lot sooner."
Someone knocked on their office door and Eric hastily stepped away from his companion, not wanting to make him uncomfortable with someone seeing them in such an intimate position. "Come in," he said, and a young Dispatch recruit entered with a handful of documents.
"Sirs, I have the latest reports from Director Spears and Officer Sutcliff!"
Eric nodded and crossed the room to take them. "Thanks. Yer dismissed."
He made sure to lock the door behind the recruit and he started reading the documents as his partner came up behind him. "Hmm, Knox go' hurt by a demon," he muttered. "Guess the streets in Warsaw were rife wi' 'em once shit hit tha fan an' he took a hit bringin' it down. It says he's recovering fine but he'll be out of commission fer a couple of days…oh shite…boss is crazy! He's planning tae go out reaping alone in that mess while Ronnie's recovering!"
"The man's gone mad!" Alan gasped, looking around Eric's shoulder at the report. "Solo missions are highly discouraged during war times in the mortal realm. So many things can go wrong. I would have thought Mister Spears would be one of the first to realize that and follow the encouraged protocol."
Eric nodded in full agreement. "Somethin' must have go' into him. Remember how he defended Germans when we were discussing tha mission before they left? Makes me wonder if this is all starting tae get tae him more than he's lettin' on."
"It's possible.," agreed Alan. "As much as he comes off as the strong, perfect reaper figure here in London Dispatch, he's still just a reaper like all of us…and war…can break people. That's what happened to the Undertaker, after all, and he was a legend. War gets to the best of us if we aren't careful." Alan sighed and dropped off his tiptoes, troubled.
Undertaker's retirement had been their story of caution back in his days as a student. After learning of all the great things the man had done, his story ended during a war. What he had seen and lived through back then had proven to be too much and mentally damaged him. Retirement had been encouraged after that for his own good. There was more to the story, Alan was sure, but the basics of it was all that was ever shared with the public.
"Och, I hope tha boss doesnae follow tha' path," muttered Eric. "Then we'll be stuck in this job fer gods know how long…" He saw the look Alan gave him and he revised his words a bit. "…or somethin' less selfish. Think we ought tae try an' reach Grell an' Ronnie? See if they can keep a closer eye on him?"
"It's all we can do, really. We're stuck here while Mister Spears is off helping the German reapers." Alan nodded. "Hopefully Ronald won't be out of commission long and Spears doesn't get into trouble working alone during that time."
"Aye," sighed Eric. He rubbed his partner's shoulder and he leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek. "Want tae handle tha phone calls while I finish up this paperwork? Yer better at talking sense intae people an' working out solutions tae delicate matters than meself."
"I'm better at most in-office things than you." Alan pointed out, flushing. "Uhm," he shifted and fiddled with his fingers, "But tonight after work…maybe…we could go out together?" he bit his lip and glanced up at the handsome Scotsman.
Eric had to resist the strong and sudden urge to hug the endearing brunet tightly. He grinned and winked at him. "Try tae stop me, partner. We can go wherever ya like."
Alan smiled wider, "I look forward to it." He popped up on his toes to plant a kiss on Eric's cheek before he spun around and settled back at his desk, shifting a few files around to locate a pen.
Eric stared at his partner for a moment, before shaking himself out of his happy daydreams and getting back to work. He never would have thought he'd end this day with a date he'd been fantasizing about for months. He'd have to make it bloody good and prove to Alan that he could be both devoted and romantic.
~Dun' screw it up, Slingby. Ye've been eyeballing him fer a while now an' ye cannae afford tae ruin this chance.~
He smirked at his own thoughts. Seduction usually came so easily and naturally to him, but this time he honestly cared about the target of his affections, and he wasn't just trying to get down his pants. Ronald would probably have a field day if he found out how smitten he really was.
"Oh come on!" Ronald groaned in frustration, "I feel fine! I won't pop a stitch if I get up and stretch my legs! Styx, doesn't anyone here speak English? Che ne dici di italiano? Qualcuno di voi sa che? Io non ho intenzione di morire se mi alzo in piedi per pochi secondi!" Finding his attempts to be useless, Ron flopped back and tried to smother himself with a pillow. "German hospitals are even worse than normal ones!" he complained to himself. He hated being stuck in bed all day and the nurses refused to let him get up to stretch his legs.
William arrived a few minutes later, and he brought in Ronald's phone with him. "They were holding it at the nurse station," he informed the blond. He arched a brow. "Is there a particular reason you've got the pillow covering your face, Mister Knox?"
He offered the device to him. "Check your messages. One is from myself, as I was unaware they'd taken your phone away. I've no idea who the others are from."
"I'm trying to leave this bed-stuck life." Ron groaned, pushing the pillow up and taking the phone, "They won't even let me stretch my legs and don't speak English or Italian. I'm going crazy in here. Please tell me you have come to save me from the hospital!"
William refrained from smirking. "That would depend on their prognosis of your recovery, Knox. If they say you need another day of observation, then that's exactly what we are going to do."
His phone began to ring and he frowned, reaching into his pocket for it. "William T. Spears."
It was Grell. The supervisor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Heavens…I've already told you that Knox is on the mend, Sutcliff. How many times must you pester me about it?"
"Ronnie-darling isn't the only person in your duo that I care about, Will!" Grell's voice pouted on the other end, "I'm calling about you, hottie."
William's brows hedged slightly. "I beg your pardon? I was relatively unscathed in the fight. There is no reason to be concerned about me."
"And so I thought—but then I heard you acted like an idiot rookie by going out alone on the field!"
The raven-haired agent blinked. "How in Hades…I haven't…" He sighed. Slingby…or Humphries. He had informed them that he intended to try and complete a few reaps with a local agent or failing that, alone. He had yet to do so, but he thought he'd made it clear that these were targets of the lowest possible personal risk to himself. "I know what I am doing, Grell Sutcliff. I haven't the time to explain my actions to you."
"You out-rank me only in position." Grell hummed, "I can still kick your sexy arse if you don't start using that over sized brain of yours! Wait until Ronnie can go back out."
"Honestly," sighed William. "These collections must be seen to. Now if you don't mind, I have plans to make. Mind your own assignments, Sutcliff. Good day."
He hung up the phone and replaced it in his pocket, only to find Ronald glaring sternly at him from the bed. The blond's phone was in one hand and his arms were crossed over his chest. He must have gotten a text concerning William's plans from one of those meddlers, too.
"What is that look for, Knox?"
"I'm your partner." Ron said, "At least right now for this whole war thing. I know I got hurt and all but don't you trust me?"
William faltered for a moment, and he impulsively straightened his glasses and looked away. "It isn't about trust. It's about getting the work done."
~All of those people. We are trained to distance ourselves from the moment we join the academy, reminded each day not to falter. Not to identify too strongly with our reaping targets. Even senior officers still get cautioned on such matters. I have never allowed emotion to cloud my judgment or interfere with a job.~
He then noticed that his hand was trembling as he dropped it from his glasses. He blinked at it, perplexed. Why was he trembling? He had seen plenty of gruesome, violent deaths. He had witnessed maiming, disease, animal attacks and all manner of foul play. The only time any mark had ever affected him strongly was his first one, back when he and Grell were still green. After that close call, he'd never allowed it to get to him again.
Or so he believed.
"That's utter demon shit!" Ron snapped, ignoring the nurse who was trying to get him to lay back down against his pillows, "It's not about production levels, it's about safety for both your physical and mental well being! I would have died out there if it weren't for you—and you could very well suffer the same or worse without me! We work in pairs for a reason and you should know that, supervisor Spears!"
William clenched his jaw, feeling an unreasonable flash of anger. The boy was right, of course. He shouldn't even be considering this after all of the lecturing he'd done concerning working in pairs, practicing caution and not taking un-necessary risks. What was wrong with him? He felt restless…an odd sense of desperation to get the job finished because…
~…because I don't want to do this any longer. I want it over with, and we haven't even been on this mission for a week, yet. I want to finish our task and put it behind us.~
William sighed, and he asked the nurse in German to leave them in privacy. She complied and left the room, and William waked over to the window and looked out through the blinds. "Very well. I shall refrain from acting until you are ready to join me on the field again, Ronald Knox."
His voice and stance seemed too stiff, even for him. He was beginning to feel brittle. He needed to calm himself and regain the stoicism he usually employed.
"There isn't a set number, you know." Ron offered, sitting up and dangling his legs over the edge of the bed so he could stretch them out a little now that the nurse was gone, "Going out today and collecting a thousand souls won't make the war end any sooner. And souls will be lost to demons. It's unavoidable. All we can do is collect as best we can, as safely as we can until the war is over and we can go back home to London."
Another sigh broke past William's lips, and he smirked ruefully. It seemed Ronald was more the "senpai" here than he was. He turned from the window to look at him, his neon eyes sweeping over the younger reaper. For all his carefree, party-boy antics, Ronald Knox was turning out to be the ideal partner in this endeavor. That surprised him a bit, but it proved his suspicions that the boy was more versatile than most gave him credit for.
"To be honest with you, Mr. Knox, I wasn't entirely certain why I insisted on you as a partner, when this all began. I looked over my options carefully and you simply seemed like the most logical choice, if I were to leave senior officers behind to monitor Dispatch."
He walked over to Ronald, gazing down at him with studious eyes. "But now I believe a part of me saw something that did no consciously register, at the time. Your adaptability."
Feeling he'd already said too much and that he was in danger of saying even more, William left it at that. He gave a small polite nod. "My apologies for straying from the goal of this mission. I shall inform the hospital that unless you have immediate need for further medical attention, they are to release you to my care. We will return to our accommodations so that you may recover in more comfort and privacy, and we shall return to our duties as soon as your strength returns in full."
He turned and walked out then, faintly embarrassed for having let himself go. There was still a feeling of anxiety, frustration and urgency permeating him, but he had not earned his reputation by breaking under pressure.
"Yes…anything to get out of this hospital!" Ron grinned, choosing not to press the more serious matter too much. Praise from William Spears was a rare treat to anyone who worked under him. He wasn't about to ruin that by pressing the man further.
A little under an hour later, William arranged for a cab to take them from the hospital to the bed and breakfast they'd been assigned to in the area. After getting Ronald settled in, he ordered room service, reported in to headquarters and last but not least, informed Grell that Ronald was out of the hospital and would be out on the field with him again in a couple of days. He didn't allow the phone conversation to drag on, still too rattled to handle Grell's endless inquiries. He and Ronald ate dinner together when it arrived at their room and he was mildly, silently amused at the boy's frustration when they could only find television channels in Polish and German.
"Oh honestly, Knox," he admonished, "Didn't you bring any books with you? Puzzles? Games?"
Ronald raised an eyebrow at William, "You really think I'm the kind of guy who wants to sit around reading a book or popping tiny cardboard shapes together to make a picture? What, do you also think I spend my Friday nights playing BINGO?"
William shrugged. "I honestly have no idea what sort of person you are yet, Ronald. I can, however, offer translation if you are so desperate for television entertainment."
He lay down beside the blond against his better judgment, and he clicked the television remote to the local news. His sock-clad feet sat next to Ronald's, and he suffered the deplorable urge to nudge the younger reaper's feet playfully.
~My gods, Knox…the things you provoke in me.~
"The news? Really? That's what you want to watch? More of what we have been out there experiencing on collections?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow, "Can't we find something more up-lifting to watch?" he asked, reaching over across William to make a grab for the remote.
The brunet shrugged. "Suit yourself. I honestly have no idea what sort of entertainment programs we can expect to find."
"Anything not depressing and war-related, hopefully." Ron muttered as he flipped through the channels, "How about this?" he asked, stopping on a channel showing the German film The Blue Angel, "Looks like a movie. Could be good."
William fluffed his pillow and adjusted his glasses, preparing to translate for him. The movie opened with a scene in a college preparatory high school, and the professor by the name of Immanuel Rath had just caught some of his students passing around a photo of the headliner for the local Cabaret, "The Blue Angel".
"He's admonishing them for being perverts," explained William as the irate professor punished the students.
Deciding to try and catch his students visiting the forbidden club, the professor went there himself in the next scene. There was no need to translate the infatuation he expressed with the character Lola-Lola, whom his students had been passing around photos of. William continued to translate for Ronald as the movie progressed, and it was with some dismay that he realized the film had romantic overtones. He shifted uncomfortably. He disliked dramatic films due to the emotions expressed in them, and he disliked romance even more.
Ronald chuckled as he watched the movie and listened to William translating what was being said. It was no secret by the tone of the older reaper's voice that he was slightly uncomfortable with the subject matter of the movie in one way or another. But that was what made it fun. It was so easy to imagine William as being the character Rath in the movie, and Ronald began to wonder what it'd be like to watch William fall in love. As far as he knew, William had never had a real lover, never dated anyone… The closest he had was putting up with the way Grell constantly hung off him.
And there was a few rumors that William did have the occasional one-night-stand, but Ron really didn't know how much truth there was behind that one. They had been around since before he'd joined dispatch, after all. In reality, he hoped that it was true that William did get some once in a while. There was nothing wrong with casual sex, after all. He'd had it a few times himself—usually while drunk, though. And usually it ended up being awkward the next hungover morning. Especially the few times he'd awoken with Eric sharing the bed. Eric was his best friend, yes, but the man really wasn't his type—no matter how good he was in the sack. Plus Eric had a thing for Alan, though he tried to hide it.
"Hey…senpai," Ron tore his gaze away from the black and white screen to look at William. It probably wasn't a smart idea to ask him about it, but he was curious.
"Yes?" William kept his eyes on the television, trying to avoid staring at Ronald. He was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate with the attractive young blond sitting so close to him on the bed.
"Ever get laid?" He asked bluntly.
William was suddenly glad he hadn't reached for his beverage, because he probably would have choked on it had he been drinking. "I…beg your pardon?" He stared at the boy, thinking he must have misheard him. This was Ronald Knox though—infamous party-boy and flirt. Such a question from him honestly shouldn't be so surprising.
Ron gave a little shrug, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just curious if the rumors are true or not."
"What rumors?" Demanded William uncomfortably. People were spreading rumors about his sex life? Oh, but of course they would. He was the supervisor, after all. Office gossip would naturally include speculation on who the boss was sleeping with. He was suddenly curious to hear exactly what people had been saying about him…a thing he would have considered too far beneath him to concern himself with.
"Nothing too bad." Ronald reassured him, "They say that while you never date, you do have the occasional one-night-stand with random people that have no connection with London Dispatch." he shifted and readjusted the pillows behind his back, "Normally it only comes up when some newbie comments on how you need to get laid after you lecture them about some stupid mistake on paperwork."
William flushed a bit and looked away. He owed no explanation to the blond, and yet he offered one anyway, against his better judgment. "I have indulged on occasion, if you must know. I haven't the time for a relationship, but I do have the same needs as any other reaper. I have…connections that I can rely on for that, when the mood strikes me."
The last time had been nearly a year ago, and he was beginning to feel said needs more potently, the more time he spent with Knox. One could hardly blame him for that, he reasoned. Ronald was high on the scales of attractiveness, and he had more people swooning over him than William cared to count. Between him and Slingby, it was a wonder anyone at the office got anything done at all.
"What of you?" he asked cautiously, looking at the younger reaper sidelong. "How many of your exploits are truth and how many are exaggeration?"
Ronald let out an amused chuckle and reclined back against the pillows again, "Most are exaggeration, believe it or not. I take a lot of people out on dates, yeah, but not many end up in bed. I take girls out more than guys, but I prefer men to share a bed with. I found a lot of people have started to brag about lies after I take them out. I don't mind it so I don't say anything, but last time I got any was a night of too much drinking with Eric four months ago."
"You and Slingby?" William raised a brow in surprise. That must have been an…interesting encounter, considering both their reputations as amazing lovers. He wondered if they'd woken the whole block, and his imagination caught fire. Again uncomfortable, he returned his attention to the television again—though he'd completely lost interest in the film.
"The two of you don't seem to suffer any awkward feelings about that," he observed.
"It was awkward the first time it happened," Ron shrugged, "But he's my best friend and we're both single so we just figured we could be friends with drunken benefits if we don't try to talk about what happened after we wake up naked in the same bed. Once one of us gets a serious relationship, though, it'd be over. No more drunken sex."
"That would be…prudent," agreed William. With a little shock, he identified the ugly feeling twisting inside of him as jealousy. He was jealous of Eric Slingby for his friendship with Ronald, and for the benefits he evidently enjoyed at times. He tried to stop visualizing the two of them together that way, gasping, sweating and writhing on the bed. He couldn't imagine Slingby bottoming, so his mind automatically painted a picture of Ronald doing it. Visualizing him riding the Scotsman was disturbingly easy as well, and he imagined Eric's hand curling around Ronald's arousal, stroking it slowly as the panting, moaning blond gyrated on top of him…
~Oh, honestly! Stop such thoughts at once!~
His imagination would not comply though, and he soon replaced Eric with himself in the fantasy. What would Ronald's face look like when he came? Was he a loud lover? Did he like it hard? Rough, perhaps?
William realized he was staring at him, trying to imagine a flush of passion on those cheeks. He had a pleasing body, from what he'd seen…lithe and toned in all the right places. What would it be like to run his hands over the tight muscles of his abdomen, or prop his legs on his shoulders and pound him until he screamed his name?
"Do you prefer taking or receiving?"
His eyes widened briefly as the question left his mouth, and he couldn't believe he'd blurted it out loud.
Ronald froze, his eyes nearly bulging and his jaw dropping as the unexpected question registered in his mind. His boss—Cold and professional William T. Spears—had just asked him if he liked to be more submissive or dominate in bed? He had to mentally slap himself to avoid staring at him too long like a brainless idiot. Shaking his head, he pulled his legs up to his chest and he tried to repress the light hue of pink upon his cheeks as he looked William straight in the eye.
"I prefer to bottom out. One of the reasons I like men in bed rather than women. Romantically I like both, but sexually I like the feel of a dick doing it's thing inside me." he gave a little shrug, "I know it surprises a lot of people, but I also like the feel of being dominated. Being a little bit helpless and feel a loss of control over the situation—but only when it's consensual."
~Heavens, I just had to ask, didn't I?~
William couldn't tear his eyes off of him, and he imagined binding Ronald's wrists behind his back, bending him over his desk and giving him the experience of his dick "doing its thing inside him". It just so happened that true to his nature, William T. Spears enjoyed being in control in his sexual encounters, preferring to dominate his partners. It was just too bloody perfect, and he wondered if Ronald had somehow read his mind and deliberately said that just to tempt him.
"You enjoy being held down?" murmured William, "Restrained and at the mercy of your lover?"
Why couldn't he stop? His near breakdown from earlier seemed to have jarred something loose…broken down his inhibitions. He never discussed such personal matters with anyone, save his partners when he arranged an encounter. He could hardly believe he was speaking so freely about it, but it did provide the benefit of taking his mind off the horrors of this war.
"Well, yeah." Ron smirked, "It adds a bit of a thrill to the encounter. Not that I've had actual lovers. They have all been one time things other than Eric. Had Grell-senpai once, too. Regretted that one, though. He bites…hard. Had the marks for months, and he kept calling me 'William' which, you know, was way creepy. If I were you, I'd not give in unless you like biting." Ron shuddered. "He's a bloody shark in bed. I needed more booze afterwards, there."
William was again surprised. Just how many of their coworkers had Ronald slept with? He wasn't overly thrilled to hear that Grell was calling his name during it, either. "There is utterly no chance of me giving in to Sutcliff's advances," he informed firmly, compressing his lips, "and the only biting I enjoy is light nips. I would neither bottom for him nor top."
He shuddered as well at the thought—not because he found Grell repulsive to look at, but he could not abide his behavior in any capacity. His thoughts went to the cuffs they carried as part of their issued equipment and he entertained the notion of using them on Ronald. He shook his head and rubbed his temples, wondering why he could not seem to shake these vivid little fantasies. William had never considered himself particularly imaginative, outside the bedroom. He was not a daydreamer and he generally never found himself distracted by lustful thoughts.
Why then could he not bottle them safely up and stop thinking of having his way with the blond?
"I feel a headache coming on," he confessed, annoyed with himself.
"Sorry—but you did ask." Ron shrugged and stretched his legs out in front of him and arching his back with a satisfied groan. Once he relaxed again, he glanced over at William, smirking as he caught sight of how the man was looking at him. Eyes trailing over his body.
"Well damn." he chuckled, "I know I'm sexy but—don't tell me you want a bite of the Knoxwurst, too." he teased.
William averted his gaze, somewhat mortified that his eyes had given something away. His pants were starting to feel tight as well and he covertly pulled the covers up to hide the tent that was starting to form. He nearly said he wasn't interested in Sutcliff's leftovers, but there was no need to be any more crass than he'd already been…and not even learning that Grell had gotten there first was enough to deter the attraction he felt for Ronald. He didn't intend to pursue the blond, but some part of him wasn't willing to outright say so.
"I'm merely trying to understand what would possess you to sleep with your mentor," he excused—which was true enough. Slingby was one thing, but Grell? He'd been under the impression that the redhead thought of Knox like a little brother, and he never would have imagined Sutcliff as Ronald's type.
"It wasn't planned at all." Ronald shrugged, "It just…happened. Remember when you sent us out on that collection of the ship that was supposed to sink? We were stuck in the same tiny little cabin, and it was freaking cold. So we decided to share a bunk that first night when she wasn't going to sink. It was warmer that way and…I don't know, next thing I knew he was naked and yanking my shirt open and it just sorta…happened. I did make sure he knew it was nothing serious on my end, though. I won't lead people on like that."
The blond trailed off, a strangely saddened look crossing his youthful features. "The guy who took my virginity did that to me, after all…I had really liked him and I was just a toy for the evening. Told myself I wouldn't sleep with someone who had feelings for me I don't return—or with someone I have feelings for myself. It fucking hurts to be used, ya know…"
William looked at him again, blinking slowly. Surprisingly, he could relate to some of those sentiments, even though he'd never experienced the pain of being used, himself. "Feelings can muddle things, I agree. I find it much more convenient to have an arrangement in which both parties are aware nothing will ever come of it, beyond mutual sexual release."
He did sometimes wonder what it was like to feel that sort of affection for another person, though. He saw couples exchange loving looks or touches, and at times he felt like he was missing out on something by keeping himself aloof and distanced from his partners. Then he saw the ruin of a bad breakup and he decided it was much better not to bother with love.
~And that is why I need to refrain from doing anything inappropriate with Knox. This struggle we're in has made me look at him differently.~
He could even dare say he'd grown fond of the boy, and that was a dangerous thing to combine with sexual attraction. William T. Spears lived his life by a code of logic, common sense and efficiency. Emotional attachment was not a thing he was prepared to deal with.
Ronald rolled off the side of the bed and onto his feet, walking over to the tray that still had food sitting on it from when they had ordered room service. He grabbed a wedge of a cut sandwich and took a bite of it, more for something to do than out of hunger. They were starting to get personal—at least, emotionally personal in their topic. To him, talk of casual sex was one thing, but they were getting deeper than that.
He had teasingly offered sex to William in a way, but he knew that had the man for whatever reason started to take him up on the offer, he would have backed out.
William Spears wasn't the kind of man Ronald normally fell for. His type was normally a little more like Eric in some ways. Warm, caring, muscular… And William was so cold and displayed limited emotions. And yet, despite that, Ronald did have some feelings for the man. Feelings he hid away knowing they would never be returned. And if he were to hop into bed with the man, he feared he wouldn't be able to stop those emotions from coming out—and he'd only get himself hurt.
"There's one more sandwich, want it?" he asked, changing the subject.
William shook his head. "Thank you, no. I'm not particularly hungry."
~For food.~
He sighed, once more annoyed with himself for allowing sexual fantasies of Knox permeate his thoughts—even encouraging them. What a foolish thing to do. The movie was ending, and his libido was beginning to settle again. Still, his gaze kept straying to the younger reaper as Ronald finished off the leftover food. He watched the way his throat worked as he swallowed, and he imagined kissing the Adam's Apple and nibbling the spot below his jaw.
Yes, Ronald Knox was far too attractive for his own good.
-To be continued