As Eric half-heartedly and sloppily filed out the death reports at his desk, he mentally screamed with happiness as someone entered his office and interrupted his work. He looked up slowly, careful not to look too desperate as he checked to see who it was.

There were mixed feelings inside of him as he looked at the visitors. One was William, meaning he was getting his assignment, and the other person was the stranger from the café, which he couldn't explain.

"Mr. Slingby," William began in his monotonous voice, "This is Alan Humphries. He is a recent graduate from the academy and I'd prefer it if you helped him with his first few assignments." (Meaning: There was nobody else available in the entire department.)

Eric forced a smile and rose from his seat, holding his hand out for the folder that held their first assignment. William slipped it into his grip and then walked out, leaving the two men alone. The blond set the folder down and held out his hand to shake with Alan, but the man didn't return the gesture. He actually looked kind of nervous about giving his hand to the bigger man.

Although it hurt slightly, Eric was used to the coldness of the Shinigami in the offices. He turned away from Alan and opened up the folder, easily scanning the page. "Okay, this seems simple enough," he said, mostly to himself, as he closed the folder and looked up at Alan. The brunette was simply standing there, his hand gripping the scythe tightly and his eyes looking frightened. He seemed like a lost puppy, debating on whether to fight or run away.

"Come on now," Eric told him with a slight grin, grabbing his saw from behind his desk. He took his death registry and tucked it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket before holding his hand out for the shorter male again. Alan once more looked reluctant, but silently took Eric's hand. The blond smiled triumphantly and led him from the office to the portal that would take them to the human world.

Alan was silent as they traveled and Eric watched him do the job quickly and effortlessly. It wasn't until the woman had finally died that Eric heard the man whisper softly, "I wish I could share your pain…" to the corpse. She had been young, dying of a asthma attack alone in her apartment.

Eric blinked at the compassion Alan showed for the deceased woman, even being careful with her cinematic record as he sliced it. Alan pulled out his own registry and wrote down the required information about her. When he concluded his work, he put the book away and turned to face Eric. "Why are you staring at me?" he asked softly, though the quiet volume was probably normal for him.

"I, er…" Eric stammered and hurriedly adverted his gaze from the man. Everything seemed calm for a few moments, until he heard an awful coughing sound and turned his head back to Alan, who was doubled over and gripping his chest roughly. Eric, not knowing exactly what was happening, easily lifted the sickened reaper into his arms and disappeared from the woman's apartment towards his own, which was nearby. The reapers sometimes lived in the human realm to make going home easier for them.

Although Eric traveled surprisingly quickly and his apartment wasn't too far away, Alan had stopped breathing hard, though he continued to cough, by the time he had unlocked the door and set Alan on the couch.

Eric quietly bent down next to him, his eyes watching him with concern. They had just met, but he wasn't gong to let his new partner die, or whatever was happening to him.

For a while they remained there, Alan's eyes closed as his breathing gradually returned to normal as Eric watched over him. When Alan opened his breathtaking green eyes, he gave Eric a gentle smile. "Thank you for taking care of me," he said in a light whisper before sitting up. He was grateful, but that didn't mean much.

"Er, you're welcome?" Eric asked, raising as eyebrow as the scrawny young man rose from the couch and straightened his clothes.

"I guess I will see you tomorrow at work," Alan told him with another small smile before he walked from Eric's apartment, leaving the blond terribly confused and scratching his head.