A/N: Thank you loads for your reviews! I'll get back to Sacrifice soon, don't worry! Hope everyone had a good Christmas! I didn't think this would go the way it did...I just kinda let the muses play and forgot to give them their cocoa. Your reviews for the stories have been ver sweet and encouraging! I'm glad you would like to see more~! ^^
Ronald sighed as he sat in the corner of the room, cleaning off his glasses quietly. It would figure of course that Will wouldn't show up, so much for partying with his boyfriend, huh? He stood and went to grab another drink. If Will wasn't going to show up, then he could at least have a few drinks before he went home. He grabbed a cocktail glass of the minty drink and retreated back to the corner, adjusting the mouse ears and smiling when he saw a girl walking around dressed like Carmen. Well since Will wasn't coming then it might as well be open season.
"Excuse me! Miss...Theresa? Wow, look at you! You look incredible, Where did you find a masterpiece like that?" She blushed and ruffled her curly black hair slightly at Ronald's comment, not even thinking to hide behind her fan. She' been trying since the academy to get him to look her way and he finally did. Seems like it had done the trick of grabbing Ronald's attention, hopefully pulling him away from that stuffy old boss of his.
"Actually I made it...Red is the colour of fiery passion after all! Would the charming Dormouse like to dance with Madame Carmen?" She twirled and grabbed his hand, pulling him onto the dance floor and into a tango, drink forgotten on some random table in front of a certain supervisor. Formal dancing was not Ronald's specialty, he was used to twirling and grinding and 'writhing around like a whore having a fit' as William called it. "It's such a shame that you didn't have a date tonight, Ronnie-bug. Usually you can't get the girls off of you...or the boys. What was different this time? As of late though you've not been dating anybody! You've not been at the taverns or anywhere...!" Ronald stopped about to give her the dip of a lifetime and stared at her, she'd really caught him off guard with that one, didn't she? The word must have spread like wildfire through General Affairs...and anywhere else that Ronald's reputation was well known.
"Well...uh...you see, I um...I want to...get a promotion! Yeah that's it! I'm way too intelligent or simple collections and thought if I worked harder I'd be able to get promoted, ya know?" He chuckled and bit his lip, not noticing the person standing behind him. Theresa saw though and stepped away slightly, smiling and giggling softly when the man pulled Ronald into his arms.
"Promotion. huh? Well if your reports and desk were a little more organised, you might do yourself a favour..." Ronald jumped and turned his head to look behind him, stumbling a little at the the sight in front of him.
"Wi-I mean, Boss! You showed up! Awesome!" Will smirked and shooed away the secretary, narrowing his eyes slightly when she took the rose from her hair and pinned it to Ronald's waistcoat.
"Thought I'd let you come to a party without a date, did you? Have I kept you long, my precious Dormouse?" Ronald looked over his shoulder and turned properly, hugging William tight. Will had done a rather impressive job dressing as the March Hare. It suited him really, the floppy ears and colourful suit, he even painted a little bit of pink on his nose, how charming! Ronald grinned and hugged him tight, burying his head in the taller man's chest, not worried about whether or not his make-up would smear. Theresa pouted at the sight of them and stomped off, pouting.
"Hmph! What does he see in Mr. Spears anyway? The man's so stuffy and cold and I heard he beats his employees with his scythe..." Theresa sighed and sat at a table of the other secretaries, tossing her shoes onto the table. "I've had my eye on Knoxie since we graduated, 16 years for goodness sake! I'm ten times better than that stuffy old Spears!" She and the other secretaries looked back at William and Ronald and huffed in unison, pouting as they disappeared from the crowd of bodies.
"Boss, what changed your mind? I mean earlier you were all against coming here, so why change it?" Ronald rubbed his arms once they went outside, completely forgetting to grab his jacket on the way out. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked out over the balcony, smiling a bit. He didn't mind being cold as long as William pulled him close and held him tight. "Wanted to make sure the girls wouldn't steal my heart?"
"They'd have to find the vault it's locked in first, Ronald. Though I came partially against my will to ask you something," Will glanced at him before leaning against the railing, looking out at the scene before them. It really was a sight to see. The surrounding city usually was dark and spotted with the occasional lights, mainly from taverns and the housing district. The shopping district had a few colourful signs in the windows and basically created a lighted path up to the gigantic library. The white exterior glowed in the night sky, like a mountaintop in the snow covered city. It was like looking into a painting and it made Will smile. "Ronald...you left before I could ask yesterday...would you like to spend Christmas with me? It would be a shame for you to spend the holidays alone when you've got—"
"When I've got an amazing boyfriend I can't even tell people about? Stupid rules and your nonsense about avoiding anything that might threaten your reputation means I have to suffer through people talking about their incredible relationships while I just stand there and act like I'm missing out. William, it won't hurt anybody to say that you're in a relationship," William glanced over at him with the exterior lights bouncing off of his glasses, hiding the glare he was throwing Ronald's way. It hurt in a way to hear Ronald's annoyance about having to keep quiet, more than knowing that the blond was right. It wasn't anything personal, he just couldn't bring himself to show any sort of affection in public. He felt that way partially from experience, listening to Grell go into a dramatic recap about their sex life on a daily basis made him weary of making his relationships public in the future. "So if I don't have an incredible boyfriend who I can discuss with my friends, then why should I spend christmas with you? You're just my boss, remember? If that's the case then I don't see why I should spend the holidays with you, Mr. Spears," Ronald ruffled his hair a bit and went back inside, not looking back at William as more snow began to fall.
"Perhaps you're right, Mr. Knox..." He sighed and looked back inside, looking down at the ground as he saw Ronald chat up the General Affairs girls like his old self. He did have a point really, it was pointless for them to be together if they had to keep it secret, now wasn't it? He shook his head and stood straight as Ronald slipped the flower back into Theresa's hair and pulled her away to grab a drink.