Grell x Reader: Business As Usual

       You walked alongside Will, chatting idly about work. Not that there was anything particularly interesting to discuss, of course, besides the updated list of souls that needed reaping for the day. He handed you your copy of names and said, “Today, you will be partnering with Grell Sutcliff. There is a large number of souls that need reaping in London today and you won’t be able to attend to all of them on your own.”
       You groaned and pouted at William. “Aw, c’mon, couldn’t you have assigned someone else? You know I despise working with Sutcliff…” Of course, no one else in the department knew that you secretly had a crush on the reaper. His red hair that flowed like a blood stained river, his dancing emerald eyes, his enthusiastic and somewhat feminine voice, his dashing appearance… he was so enticing. You couldn’t help but be entranced by Grell Sutcliff. But he was only interested in gorgeous men, namely the disgusting demon named Sebastian.  
       Will adjusted his glasses and said, “I’m sorry, ___, but everyone else is booked for the day. But I think you can manage,” he added, walking toward his office.
       You groaned loudly and looked down at the list of names. Damn, there really were a lot of souls to be reaped. As you examined the list, the sound of fast clacking of heels came barreling toward your direction. “Oooooh, _nickname_!!!” a shrill voice called out before you were tackled into a firm hug and swung around like a child’s doll.
       You yelped and struggled helplessly as none other than Grell toyed with you foolishly. “Ah! Put me down this instance!” you shouted out, attempting to kick him in the chest.
       “Oh, come now, ___, I’m just happy to see you. It’s been soooo long since we partnered on anything. I’ve hardly even seen you around the office.”
       “Yes, I’ve made a point of that,” you mumbled bitterly.
       “Sorry, what was that you said?” Grell asked you, completely oblivious.
       “Nothing. So have you familiarized yourself with the list yet?” you questioned, attempting to stay as business oriented as possible. You weren’t going to be distracted by the man in front of you.
       “List, smish!” Grell said with a laugh. “I don’t need a bloody list!” he announced, striking an epic pose.
       You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration. “Grell, I am not going to work overtime because of your incompetence,” you growled.
       He seemed taken aback by your tone. “Goodness, someone is rather grouchy today. I’ll get my part of the job done, I promise. No need to be such a sour puss,” he said, poking your cheek. “And besides, we should have some fun! It’s not very often we get to work together.”
       “No fun,” you said sternly. “We have work to do. This is a business, not a play date. Just do what you’re supposed to and stay out of my way.” You turned and stormed off, returning to your office until you needed to head out.
       You sat in thought for some time. That was the first time you’d come into contact with Grell in months. You’d fallen for him the moment your eyes laid upon him in training. He was so confident and his skill was impeccable. You tried to stand out to him, to get his attention. It worked, to an extent. You two had become good friends and stayed that way for a few years. But you were desperate for more than friendship. But he was so blind to your feelings. He had no idea you were interested and you were too afraid to tell him. Besides, he seemed far too interested in men for you to believe you stood any chance. So rather than dealing with the heartbreak of remaining only a friend to Grell, you avoided him and disappeared from his life. It hurt you, but you knew it would be nothing to the pain of being turned down. So you let Grell love whoever he pleased while you delved into your work, copying Will to a certain extent.
       You snapped yourself out of your thoughts and looked at the clock. It was time to head out and begin reaping. You headed to the human world and met Grell at the top of the clock tower. Will had conceded to return his death saw and he stood with it held tightly in his grasp, his hair flowing in the light breeze as the city burned beneath you both. You had to tear your gaze away and return to focusing on the task at hand.
       Beneath you both, the screams of the dying rang out. It was a pitiful sight, really. This was the largest number of dying humans you’d seen in some time. It really would be a long night, even with two reapers on the job.
       “We had better get started. There are a lot of souls that need reaping. I’ll take the north and eastern end of the city. You take the south and the west. Ok?” You looked up to see that Grell was already in the streets, his shrill laughter filling the air. You growled and glared angrily. He really was foolish. You huffed and headed in the opposite direction.
       You tried to stay as far away from Grell as possible, but you somehow continued to cross paths. You’d see his flaming red hair out of the corner of your eye and suddenly, there he’d be, reaping the soul of some dying human mere yards from you. You’d try and head farther away and you’d stay out of sight for some time, but he’d just reappear again. What, was he following you?
       You continued working and it finally seemed like you were about finished. You reached the last soul and finished collecting the man’s soul, a sigh of relief escaping your lips as you stood up and stretched. It really had been an exceptionally long day and you were exhausted. You turned to leave, when none other than Grell Sutcliff himself appeared at your side.
       “At last, we’re finally through!” he shouted out happily. “What do you say we watch the rest of the city burn, hmm? Red is such a lovely color, after all,” he said with a grin.
       “No thank you,” you mumbled distastefully. “I’m tired and Will will need to see these reports. I’m going to return back to base.”
       “But wait! Can’t you just stay for a little while? It could be fun!” Did he sound… desperate? You shook it off and shot him an icy look. “No, Grell, I have work to do. Goodbye.”
       You went to leave when Grell reached out and snatched your hand. “Please…” he spoke softly, his voice barely a whisper. “Don’t go… I haven’t seen you in so long. I’ve missed you. We used to be so close. I don’t… want to lose you again. Please stay…”
       You sighed deeply, trying to maintain composure while your heart tore apart within you. You wanted so badly to stay but it would only get you hurt more. Besides, he cared more about his “Bassy” than he cared for you.
       You stayed firm. “No, Grell.” You pulled your arm away from his grasp. “I’m going.”
       He glared angrily and balled his hands into fists. “Fine! Go then! Run away just like before! Pretend like I don’t care!”
       Your eyes widen and something inside you snapped. You seethed angrily and spun around, getting right in his face. “How dare you say such nonsense! You think you care?! I know you don’t! You care more about that stupid demon than you do me!” Your hand seemed to have a mind of its own as you slapped him hard across the face. “Don’t you EVER pretend like you care. I loved you, Grell, and you couldn’t have cared less. You were so distracted by every single attractive man that you laid eyes upon. I wasn’t going to stand by you and let myself die inside while you chased after people that could never love you like I did.”
       You stood there, huffing, your face red in anger. Slowly, what you said began to sink in and your cheeks blushed darkly. Your eyes widened and you stumbled backwards. You gazed up at Grell, afraid of what he’d do.
       To your surprise, he seemed stunned more than anything. He reached up and gently placed his fingers against you spot on his cheek where you’d slapped him. He returned your gaze, his eyes wide with surprise. “You… loved me…?”
       You gulped and nodded slowly, fighting back tears of anger and regret.
       “So all this time… you were avoiding me because I was too stupid and blind to see the truth…” He stood in thought for a few moments before his face filled with anger and he reached toward you. You closed your eyes tightly, afraid of what he was going to do. He grabbed your shoulders and pulled you against his chest in a tight hug. Your eyes opened wide in shock, a small gasp escaping your lips. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see this sooner. I never meant to chase you away. I never thought you would love someone like me. You were everything to me and I was devastated when I lost you. I love you too, ___, but I could understand if you’re unwilling to forgive me and my stupidity.”
       Your eyes filled with tears and you forced him to look at you, a small smile on your face. “Of course I forgive you, Grell. I could never hate you. I should have just told you from the beginning. I was just too afraid of rejection.”
       Grell returned your smile and hugged you tightly once more, pecking you softly on the lips. “Never be afraid to tell me what you feel. You mean the world to me. I’m so happy to have you back. I’ll never have eyes for anyone but you, my dear. Never.”