*Warning: Vulnerable Grell Moment*

William sat, absolutely memorized at Grell's fluid elegant motions, spins, and landings. He knew that she was as nimble as a cat, but what was he seeing now left him speechless. "Alright, I am going to try to land a quadruple jump. Never pulled it off, but I think I can land it now," she said to him before he watched her skate to the far side of the rink.

He wasn't sure what she was talking about but he knew it sounded dangerous. He picked up her jacket and made it to the edge of the ice, just where the ice meets the ice-blue carpeting. You know, just in case she gets hurt. He watched her take a few deep breaths, a few stretches, and a quick moment of stillness. She then began to skate towards him, gradually gaining speed each time her skates skidded. At half across, she leaned her knees down for a moment and then launched into the air, doing four quick but beautiful mid-air spins, and swiftly landing back on the ice.

'If she put this effort into reaping, she could be one of the elite,' he thought as he watched her do a quick spin and then hold a ballerina-like pose for a moment, panting hard and sweating almost through her makeup. All William felt like doing at that moment was clapping. Commending her for a truly amazing performance.

Her mouth was viewing her fangs in a grateful grin. She quickly bowed and made her way back to Wil. "Thank you, darling. I'm glad you were here to see me pull it off," she said as they carefully made their way to the nearest bench.

"May I ask you something?" he asked before he sat down next to her.

"Hold on," she said before grabbing her vending machine water bottle and taking a few gulps. "Go ahead."

Hopefully, this won't be too probing. "Has something bad been happening to you these decades? The comment about Bridget early made me wonder."

Her grin turned almost crestfallen. He watches her take a few breaths to regain composure. "Not bad persay," she sighed. She gestured for her coat and he gave it back to her. She hugged it close to her chest. "As you have been fully aware of now, I am transgender. Stuck in a man's body but soul and mind of a female. Known since before I died, but they didn't have the correct term for it yet. Anyway, while I'm glad that my fellow trapped souls that are still living can change into who they truly are," Her voice started to break. William noticed that a few tears were falling off her chin as she held her face low. "I'm miserable that thanks to the wretched curse of being a reaper, I will always be in this body no matter what. Bridget has helped me feel better so many times."

William often forgets that after a person becomes a Grim Reaper they can no longer undergo massive changes to their bodies. It must be torture for Grell to exist in this modern age with medical advances she cannot use.

She sniffled a few times before bringing her head back up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to turn into a sobbing mess," she said as she wiped away her running mascara, exposing a few of her freckles. Wil didn't know what came over him but he brought her into a comforting embrace. "Wiliam?" her voice whispered into his ear in confusion.

"I'm sorry you have to live like this," he said, earning a gasp from her lips. "Tell me when you want me to let go."

She returned the hug gently. "Not yet."

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