A/N: So, just for those of you who aren't following here - the beginning of each chapter in this fanfiction will be a little insight into Grell's childhood and how he came to be who you see in the series now. It's hard to come up with some of this stuff but as a child, he was raised in a Catholic society (as most were) and was introduced by the color red through his own blood. So that explains his obsession you see later in the series. :3 More stuff will be coming up later! Chapter 3 is soon! 8D
Disclaimer: Still do not own. D:
To Grell Sutcliffe, the color red resembled much in everyday life. The vibrancy of romance, the tragedy of a gruesome death, even the innocence of a child's play-thing. The young boy watched his latest victim, an old squirrel, bleed. It's blood looked almost velvety as the sunlight hit it. It oozed slowly, the bright red color seeping through the grass. It moved gracefully, blossoming out from the squirrel's pieced breast. Grell smiled.
"It's such a beautiful color..."
Every day since the boy's first real encounter with the color red, he began to crave the sight of it. He enjoyed the moments others or himself would become injured. And then that beautiful color would show up. There was not a better representation of the color red than through that of blood. Seeing a bird, trampled by a horse and buggy, brought a smile to the young boy's face. He would sit on the other side of the wrought iron gate and stare, perplexed, at the blood that pooled around the broken bird. It was not the sight of a dead creature that delighted him – it was the color that oozed so gracefully from every living thing.
"Grell!"
The ginger turned from his crouched spot beside the gate to see William hurrying towards him. His face was red and his breathing was labored. He removed his glasses to wipe the sweat from his brow. Grasping Grell's hand, he ushered the boy alongside him. Confused as to what was happening, Grell opened his mouth to speak but immediately shut it again as they turned the corner and the front steps of the Cathedral spanned out before them. Crowds of children and other Catholic officials mingled and panic was thick in the atmosphere. Grell squeezed the older boy's hand.
"Will...what..what's going on?"
William sighed and opened his mouth to speak. His pink lips were chapped and he ran a tongue nervously along the cracking edges.
"Sister Mona is-"
Having grown impatient, Grell released William's hand and began to mill through the crowd. William was shocked at the boy's straight-forwardness and reached out to pull him back but lost sight of him. Meanwhile, Grell continued pushing between others and excusing himself while doing so. Finally, he pushed his way to the very front and laid his eyes on what all the panic was about.
There, laying on the concrete steps, lay a young woman bearing the uniform of a nun. Her dress was hiked up, revealing her stockinged leg. Blood seeped from her mouth and dripped along her ear and onto her headdress. A great gash had torn at her throat, blood spilling out around her and trailing slowly down the steps. Her hair spilled out from under the headdress and was clumped with thick blood. Children were crying around them while other nuns hurried to cover their eyes. More Catholic officials as well as police officers bustled around, hurrying to cover the dead nun. Grell felt his mind go blank as he gasped. He found enough air to mutter but one word.
"Dead."
"Here's more accident-forgiveness documents you need to fill out. Apparently, the Howard souls you failed to collect caused a little bit of damage for the young girl's lemonade stand she had outside.."
Grell felt his heart drop as yet another thick stack of documents and papers was heaved by the ever-willing William into his arms. Grell felt his knees lock beneath the weight. William then pulled out another three packets of papers.
"Here's more damaged property papers that need to be filed and sent to the administrator on the eightieth floor." William paused and stifled a twisted smile. "Oh, and when you do deliver those documents, you'll need to take the south stairwell on the other side of the building, the others are under construction for a few weeks."
Grell sighed and opened his mouth to protest when William held out a hand to stop the ginger.
"This is what happens when you decide to fool around – and with a demon, no less."
Grell felt his face grow hot and, without will, perverse thoughts fluttered around in his mind. He couldn't help but grin at the thought of Sebastian, pressing his slender body against Grell's and shoving his lips against the Reaper's. His hands traveling down his chest and slowly cupping his–
WHAM!
"Focus, Sutcliffe." William chastised as he slammed yet another packet of work onto Grell's already high stack of work. "Get out of those gutter-fantasies of yours and take this work to your desk."
Grell followed William's extended arm to see that the bespectacled man had Grell's desk moved into his own office to ensure that Grell actually worked. The ginger pouted.
"Why do I have to do all this? You're so good at it, Wiii~ll," Grell batted his lashes flirtatiously at William who frowned and shook his head.
"Go, Sutcliffe."
Shoulders sagging, Grell lugged the work to his smaller desk. Picking up a quill and dipping it into the ink well beside him, he leafed through the large stack and plucked a random document.
"The Howard Souls Report," Grell read, rolling his eyes. Slowly, deliberately, Grell began his report on how he had failed to collect the souls that he had been designated to find.
After only a few minutes of writing, Grell found he was becoming restless and sidetracked. He looked out a foggy window onto the streets below – at the oblivious humans that milled about – and thought about Sebastian.
"You must stay in bed, young master," Sebastian Michaelis urged, pressing a gloved hand onto his master's chest to keep him from sitting up.
"But I have work to do!" Ciel protested, his flushed face lighting up with defiance. Sebastian nodded solemnly.
"I understand, but it would benefit the young master to stay in bed and rest. You are sick and must heal quickly."
Ciel scoffed and reluctantly allowed Sebastian to push him gently back down against his pillows. Smiling in modest victory, Sebastian pulled the thick covers up to Ciel's chin before pouring the boy a small cup of herbal tea.
"It is said that Indian herbal tea is the best for sickness, please drink it all."
Ciel glared up at the demon butler but complied quietly, taking the cup and gently tasting it. He grimaced at the light taste is provided but continued to sip at it nonetheless. Bowing to boy, Sebastian quietly left the room to continue his preparation of an afternoon meal that he hopes Ciel would have an appetite for. At least Bard was out of the kitchen...
Removing his tailcoat and casting it aside onto a nearby hook, Sebastian rolled up his sleeves and continued his chopping of spring onions. Sebastian took to silently cooking before he quietly began to hum a few bars from a song that he had long-since forgotten from his childhood. He frowned as a blurred vision of a woman – his conceiver, perhaps? – flashed through his mind. The demon stopped humming immediately and proceeded to add the onions, now finely chopped, into a boiling concoction. Peeling several tomatoes next, Sebastian found himself, try as he might have to stop it, humming.
His hot mouth tasted sweet as parted lips pressed harder against Grell's. Raven hair tickled Grell's cheeks and jaw but the ginger did not mind. A low voice, the voice of Sebastian, growled, his breath brushing against his lips.
"You're mine, Grell,"
The ginger moaned quietly with desire as he felt Sebastian move and shove the ginger against a brick wall. Fanged teeth nipped at Grell's ear, drawing what felt like blood. A warm tongue lapped up the substance quickly, a lustful growling sounded deep within Sebastian's throat. Grell ran his hands along the butler's slender body, his face flushing at how real it seemed.
"Grell," Sebastian moaned into his ear. The ginger complied with a firm squeeze of Sebastian's nipples.
"Grell," the voice was now more serious, more sane.
"Sebastian," Grell replied softly.
"Grell!"
"Sebastian?"
"Grell!"
Wham!
"OW!"
"Bloody hell, finally you woke up!"
The dazed red-head rubbed the raw spot from where he was struck by William as he gazed up at aforementioned Death God.
"The hell was that for? Don't you know it's rude to strike a lady?"
"You fell asleep and you were moaning that blasted demon's name again," William snapped. "Anyway, you can go. I'm surprised at how much you actually did accomplish today," the bespectacled man eyed the impressive stack of completed documents that rested beside the work yet to be completed.
Grell's face lit up in excitement. "You mean..?"
"Yes, just leave, Sutcliffe."
Grell squealed and hugged William in joy, leaving the older man stunned for a moment. The ginger hurried from the room, his heels clacking loudly down the hardwood hallways. After the passionate dream he had had previously, Grell could not get the desire to diminish from his heart – from his body. He wanted to be held by Sebastian, to be loved by him! But this love would forever go unrequited, it seemed. Grell felt his heart sink at the thought but he pressed onward through the night – not to his own home, but to the great Phantomhive Mansion.
A/N: Sorry for this chapter being so short! I really wanted to make it longer but I need to save the next scene for the next chapter! So stay tuned for chapter three! Review, pleeeeease?