#grell my beloved grell my gorgeous

[dlldior]

no context i just wanted to share this grell edit i made yonks ago. my queen

[lunachuu]

HER ❤️‍🔥

I miss her

[cielwritings]

Hcs for sebaciel with trans!ciel? 🥺👉👈 Both mtf and ftm if thats not too much please.

! FTM & MTF Ciel x Sebastian !

trans hcs my absolute beloved.

! FTM !

Sebastian sees this more often than not. While at this point the term wasn't coined, Sebastian knew it wasn't just some thing you catch like a flu.

He could sense Ciel's unease the moment they met. When he burnt the cathedral down and had Ciel in his arms, he could feel just how frightened the boy truly was. He refused to leave the bath once bathed.

Ciel told Sebastian that was because he felt revolted in his skin. Sebastian simply states that he knew.

Sebastian makes Ciel's public clothes as masculine as he could. Navy blue colored, not as eye catching (though kept the charm), and if the dress was long enough, male shoes.

Ciel will have monthly haircuts, or whenever his hair started to bother him. That's typically when he felt it scratch at the back of his neck.

Periods were hard for the poor boy. He felt like an absolute fool being in bed in pain when he's supposed to be a prince. A prince, a noble, whatever you wish to call him.

"Your pain is not to be ashamed of, my lord." Sebastian would reassure, hand running through Ciel's hair. "You may not think of yourself as such, but no matter what, you are my prince."

! MTF !

This one, for Sebastian, wasn't as common for him to see. He knew Grell, but that was about it.

Though, even if it wasn't as common, he's just as respectful. He knows how to be a gentleman, and as salty as it makes Cielle, she can't help but feel flattered. Even just a little.

He helps her put on a corset, being as gentle as he could with her. He helps her grow her hair out by giving her vitamins that assist. He actually asks Grell for advice as well, which has her shaking in her boots.

You'd think Sebastian wouldn't need assistance, but he's a biological male, and identifies as such. He has an idea how men would need or want to be treated, but women were a little difficult. He can't exactly put himself in Cielle's shoes without generalizing all women.

For Cielle's birthday, there was a party, which could pass as a ball really. Sebastian hid the surprise he got her for as long as he could and as well as he could, and of course, he succeeded.

With the assistance of Grell, he showed Cielle what he'd gotten her.

A ball gown. A navy blue, off the shoulder one with gold lining at the waist and bottom of the gown. It was absolutely beautiful. Fortunately, she could wear this around her family. Her aunt had always wanted a girl, after all. She wouldn't pass up seeing Cielle in this.

"My princess," Sebastian cooed, slipping on her last heel. "Looking gorgeous as ever. May I say, your skin is glowing.. your youth is one others would die for."

Sebastian, naturally, was her first dance that night.

[justhoardingreblogs]

A new Black Butler anime was just announced at the Crunchyroll panel at Anime Expo today. Announcing for a 2024 release produced by Cloverworks. Who is excited?! (Oh, btw it's a continuation after the Book of Atlantic, which premiered in theaters back in 2017)

[grelleswife]

What are your top Yana Toboso official arts/Sketches?? 🤔🤔🤔

Physically restrains myself from immediately filling this post with artwork of Grelle

It’s hard to narrow my answer down to just ten pics (curse the hellsite’s limitations 😭), but that list would include:

The ultimate #girlboss, the CEO of being a flawless queen! She’s building her empire and looks absolutely stunning while doing so.

This sketch is near and dear to my heart because it offers us a fleeting glimpse into the softer, domestic side of An’s relationship with Grelle. They both look happy and relaxed, drinks in hand while they presumably gossip up a storm. Just two girlfriends without a care in the world. A very poignant scene, when you consider how their partnership ended. :(

One subgenre of Yana’s sketches of which that I’m especially fond would be the drawings where Kuro characters are hanging out and bonding over a good meal. This one of Soma and Agni is too precious for words! Other faves along this line include the reapers eating at the dispatch cafeteria, Bard making sandwiches (or burgers? It’s a little hard for me to tell 🤔) for the other Phantomhive servants, and Grelle and Ronald enjoying pancakes together. >w<

Soft Phantomfam content my beloved! The servants contribute a lot of heart to Kuro, and sketches like the one above show how closeknit they truly are. Another favorite in this category is the sketch where Finny laughingly runs away from an irate Sebastian, carrying O!Ciel on his shoulders while the boi munches a forbidden chocolate bar.

THE YANA GENDERBENDS. Fem!Agni is my gorgeous tol wife, who I cherish. 😍🙏 Another thing I love about sensei’s genderbends (beyond the ✨ vibes ✨) is illustrated well below: She generally preserves the characters’ canon aesthetics in the “swapped” sketches. Fem!Bard, for example, is broad-shouldered and muscular; she looks like she could down a shot of whiskey without batting an eye, or annihilate you in an arm-wrestling match. And Male!Rin is the cutest shy bean!

The “photographs” from the aftermath of the sinking of the Campania.

I love the feel of this little collection—like we’re historians sifting through documents to piece together O!Ciel’s life story from the fragments left behind. There’s also an intimacy to these pictures: The bedraggled and weary Sebas watching over his kids, Lizzy immeasurably glad and relieved to have made it out the other side with her fiancée, Alexis lovingly placing his hand on Frances’s shoulder, the servants bawling their eyes out after being reunited with their young master…it makes my cold, dead soul thaw out just a bit. :’)

That creation more rare and mythical than a unicorn: Wholesome art of Alois Trancy. His cheeky personality still shines through (look at that little wink 🥺), but there’s not a red kimono or dubious pose to be found! Best of all, he and Luka are finally together and happy. 🤧 (Meanwhile, Claude’s being a colossal dork photobombing them in the background. 😂)

The niche category of Kuro art where Sebas is obviously married and raising a family with his partner. Sebagrelle look like they’re about to ride that motorcycle into the city and commit a heist with their smol son in tow. Sebagni are peacefully walking their kids to school. I think that’s beautiful. ❤️

Of course, there are so many other pieces I’d include if I could, but I hope you enjoy this smorgasbord of official artwork; I certainly had fun compiling it! 🥰

[ufonaut]

back from this month’s london comic mart and they had such an extraordinary selection of comics that i actually had the incredible opportunity of methodically crossing off my list a whole lot of odds and ends that i’d been hunting for an eternity.

first off, i got hourman #18 & #24 completing my collection of the issues rex actually shows up in, sandman mystery theatre #31 completing my collection of the rex arc, starman #42 completing the beginning of the end for will payton and those gorgeous mignola covers. other highlights are grell’s brave and bold #2 + green arrow #50, green lantern #25 (where hal takes guy’s ring!) and aquaman #44 -- the latter being a complete miracle to me because i’ve been looking for this particular sentinel appearance for two years at least. we proceed with fate 1994 #17-21, thus completing the whole entire run for me and ensuring i’ve now got around 80% of all of jared’s appearances ever. i was also lucky enough to find john paul leon’s challengers of the unknown #1-5, an all time favourite series, aaaaand the absolute beauties that are the swampy enemy ace issue & my beloved mister e’s second appearance ever in secrets of haunted house!

[bapydemonprincess]

Saving Mey Rin

Hello everyone!  ❤️ Got another AMAZING collab story to share with you guys!! Another Sebagrellerin story with my lovely partner in crime @grelleswife!! There’s LOTS of hurt/comfort in this one to please the eyes, and I’m pretty sure this takes place in basically the same universe as the others! ;) I hope you all enjoy our little masterpiece!! 😘

Sebastian continued to smirk as he raced downstairs, tossing out another batch of knives at the next group of foolish humans to come parading in. It was fascinating that some had managed to get in at all, what with Finny out there tossing as many heavy objects (usually tree trunks) as he could and Mey-rin already on the roof taking out men with her perfect crack shots.

But oh well, this would clearly be the end of their sorry attempts now.

What also amused the demon was that they always seemed startled when they were met by the head butler. Were they expecting the Earl himself to be coming out and attacking as well?

While the young master did know by now how to shoot someone with a gun, he definitely was not ready for this level of combat.

Some, of course, had the artillery available to rattle the demon’s human form with bullets, but by now it was an easy fix; just expelling the bullets and tossing them back to the poor horror-struck mortals.

It was all just a typical day, really. Once all the forces were cleared he could get right on to serving lunch.

Hm, what to make today…

But before Sebastian could come up with any likely options for his master’s meal, the unmistakable sound of a window shattering in another room met his fine-tuned hearing, and Sebastian whirled around just in time to see Grelle Sutcliff’s grand entrance from the drawing room.

“Miss Sutcliff? I wasn’t aware you’d be joining us, at least not today…” Sebastian responded, quirking an eyebrow almost casually. Then there was another man barging in, uncaring of if he were interrupting two lovers greeting each other. Sebastian kept his eyes locked right on Grelle, awaiting her response as he grabbed the man by the back of his jacket and simply sliced his neck clean open.

“I saw that quite a few humans on the daily to-die list were scheduled to meet their end here, and I just knew there would be excitement in store! Can’t a woman have a little bloody fun with her lovers?” Grelle laughed. Another attacker entered, lunging toward her. Grelle whirled around with the fluid grace of a tigress and plunged her scythe into his midsection with gusto. Crimson blood sprayed from the wound. When Grelle turned back to grin at Sebastian, he saw that a fair amount had spattered her face. She reached up and deliberately smeared it down her cheek. “My favorite makeup…the blood of my enemies!” she trilled, striking a pose.

“It’s a good look on you,” Sebastian smiled, his eyes turning scarlet. Grelle Sutcliff’s vicious beauty in combat always filled him with dark exultation. A worthy mate! “But I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble for killing these mortals prematurely, rufina.”

Grelle waved aside his concerns. “Nonsense, darling! They’re going to die anyway, so no one will care if I off them a little ahead of schedule. Now, onto more important matters, where is our Mey Mey?”

Sebastian’s eyes crinkled fondly. “Most likely still on the rooftop, picking off these vermin one by one.”

“Let’s keep her company, then!” the reaper exclaimed. “A threesome with my loves!”

The demon chuckled. “Always happy to oblige a lady.”

Grelle grabbed ahold of his arm above the elbow, and in a trice they had “leapt” to the roof. Some distance from where they were standing, Sebastian saw their Mey Rin. Her glasses were pushed to the top of her head, allowing those owl-like eyes to scan the ground below for intruders. Sebastian only sensed a few souls racing desperately about the premises—she had done her work well, it appeared.

“Deadly gorgeous,” Grelle sighed dreamily, and Sebastian couldn’t help but concur. Russet hair blown back, gaze steely with determination, that delectable figure shown to perfection as she stood silhouetted against the sky…exquisite. They watched proudly as she took aim and fired. Sebastian sensed a pathetic life snuffed out of existence a few moments later.

Suddenly, Grelle swore. Sebastian’s head whipped around, and he saw what she had spotted. Crouched in the shadows on the rooftop not too far behind Mey Rin, a figure stealthily pulled out a pistol. Sebastian froze in horror.

“Fuck,” Grelle snarled, racing forward in a desperate attempt to halt the attack. “Watch out, Mey!” Sebastian shouted as he took off after her. His heart lurched painfully in his chest as he saw that cursed finger pull the trigger.

For once the bullet seemed to outclass the demon’s supernatural speed, as Mey-rin’s body lurched within seconds of hearing her loves as well as the sound of the gun going off.

Pain exploded in her shoulder region before her legs could even move, and a scream of agony escaped her as she went down on the rooftop.

All the maid could do now was lie there and listen to the roar of Grelle’s death scythe tearing at flesh, along with a barely garbled howl from the man while it happened.

Next thing Mey-rin could make out was Sebastian’s voice, frantically speaking to her, and touching her arm and shoulder carefully as he did. He must be trying to free her arm from the confines of her dress sleeve, to inspect the wound thoroughly. But Mey-rin was only aware of so much, as it was suddenly like there were plugs in her ears, and shoved in tight, keeping her from making out any exact words at all. The part of her mind that WAS aware of all this, tried to make sense of it, and all she could come up with was it was just her body being in shock, nothing to do with the noises of the gunfire or the bullet, but just the whole situation itself.

“THERE!” Grelle roared, finally pulling away her scythe from the gruesome remains now splattering a corner of the manor roof. “That’ll show you not to mess with a lady’s true love, you bloody bastard.” She growled, and whirled around to get back to the love in question.

Her heart lurched at the sight as she ran closer, though, and she slowed down and dropped to her knees next to her demon.

“Bassy, please tell me she’ll be alright!!”

“She likely will be,” Sebastian confirmed, a hint of a bitter growl in his tone, though. “However we must bring her inside to get the bullet out safely and to assure her recovery comes sooner than later.”

“Oh my Mey-Mey! Her eyes look so haunted, is she in shock??” Grelle got up in sync with the demon as he cradled their precious human so close to his chest.

“Yes, and it’s no surprise that she is, as this has not happened before…” The demon’s eyes glowed with a raging hellfire the likes only those few who truly were damned had ever seen. “When I get my hands on whoever sent that man, I will make sure this never happens again.” He promised, voice dipping even more.

Sebastian pressed his hand firmly to Mey Rin’s wound to quell the flow of blood. His glove was instantly stained crimson, a sight that caused his stomach to tie itself up in anxious knots. The demon’s heart pounded as furiously as any mortal’s. If that bullet had struck an artery…but they didn’t have time to spare. He carefully picked Mey Rin up, cradling her awkwardly with one arm while his other hand continued to apply pressure. Grelle hurried to his side to help him support Mey Rin, whose face had gone chalk-white. Those beautiful brown eyes were glazed over in uncomprehending pain.

“We need to bandage her up now,” Grelle said, voice strained with tension, though Sebastian could tell she was trying to put on a brave front for their injured maid.

“Can you take us to the kitchen? We have gauze and disinfectant there.”

Grelle nodded. “It’ll be all right, my sweet girl,” she whispered to Mey Rin. After planting a quick kiss on her forehead, Grelle grabbed Sebastian’s shoulder (physical contact was required for a reaper to take a companion when they leapt), and, after a blurry few seconds, they stood in the kitchen.

Sebastian closed his eyes, forcing the whirlwind of frantic thoughts to settle into some semblance of calm. He directed Grelle to the appropriate cabinet, and she frantically rifled through its contents before dashing back—deadly efficient.

Sebastian gently lowered himself and Mey Rin to the floor so that the maid lay across his lap. The fear and pain emanating from her soul were excruciating, as were the tears that sprang to her eyes.

“I’m…it ‘urts, Sebastian, it ‘urts so bad…” she whispered. Her lips trembled, and the tears began streaming down her face.

“I know, dearest, but Miss Sutcliff and I are here. There’s nothing to fear, I promise,” the demon said, as much to convince himself as Mey Rin. His free hand moved to caress her cheek, and Grelle knelt beside them.

“Deep, calm breaths, my sweet. Being shot is terrifying as hell, but it’ll be harder to stop the bleeding if your heart’s going a mile a minute,” the reaper said soothingly. She met Mey Rin’s panic-stricken gaze. “Inhale, hold, exhale. Can you do that for me, darling?” she coaxed, holding the maid’s hand. A wobbly smile appeared on Mey Rin’s face, and her ragged breathing began to settle down.

Now that that was taken care of, Sebastian needed to assess the damage. What if the bullet had ricocheted, fragmented…? He concentrated on the presence of the damned thing that had harmed his beloved. The demon let out a shaky sigh of relief when he detected the lead object lodged in Mey Rin’s shoulder. Though uncomfortably close to a few of them, it hadn’t ruptured any of the major arteries and seemed to be intact. Thank the nine circles! His mind raced to decide on the best course of action. Although they could leave the bullet at it was, Sebastian didn’t like that prospect; the lead might leach out and poison Mey Rin a few years later. Having far keener senses than a human, Sebastian was confident that he could extract the bullet without causing further injury, but would kitchen knives be sterile and precise enough? He didn’t want to take any chances with his precious Mey. Of course, when you had a form you could change at will, there were…alternatives.

Sebastian spoke to the maid as tenderly as he knew how. “I’m going to see if I can remove this wretched bullet, dear. It may hurt, but I’ll be done in a trice, I swear it.”

“O-okay,” Mey Rin squeaked, though she couldn’t stop herself from trembling. Grelle squeezed her hand and smiled encouragingly. “Relax and focus on me, Mey Mey. Don’t you worry about a thing. If Bassy couldn’t handle a little bullet, what kind of butler would he be?” The last sentence was uttered in a perfect imitation of Sebastian’s voice, and Mey Rin giggled in spite of the grave circumstances. Grelle beamed, even as shadows of worry lingered behind her eyes. Meanwhile, Sebastian swiftly removed his hand from the wound, and a dark, shifting tentacle rose to plug the gap, reaching deeper for the offending object.

Mey Rin indeed continued to look into her reaper’s beautiful gaze, having gotten used to the strange sharp teeth long ago, by now all the maid saw above her was a beautiful, sweet and emotional woman who was clearly trying her best to comfort her. And this was much appreciated, especially now as she started to feel the strange sensation of something else entering the wound where the bullet was.

Her teeth gritted and her eyes began squinting, as she tried all her might to hold back shouting, to hold back from jolting up and away from the uncomfortable situation.

Grelle was lowering her head further, nearly draping and enveloping her poor girl’s face with nothing but her own and her long, right red locks.

“Shhh, it’ll be alright, it’ll all be fine..” The reaper was cooing, moving her hand to stroke that sweaty jaw and brow.

“Almost… almost..” Sebastian hissed out, for all three of their sakes as this tiny bit of his essence encircled the bullet and very, VERY carefully pulled it out.

Sebastian had never had to do this. Not like this. With his own body, it was a simple reflex to push bullets and other such things right out and get them out with no issue.

But this was a human.

HIS human.

At this point the demon admitted he knew if he were to ever harm Mey Rin, even just by accident, he would be filled to the brim with regret.

Thankfully, centuries of learning to be careful when it was truly required finally paid off as his black essence slipped out, quickly reforming to a hand holding the dreaded bullet, and looked instantly to Grelle to help get the wound disinfected and covered up in bandages.

By now, Mey Rin had lulled her head up, eyes still open but looking quite glazed again.

“Sweetie?” Grelle asked as she noticed this. “Mey Mey??” She asked again when suddenly Mey Rin’s body drooped entirely in their demon’s lap.

“It’s alright, rufina. It’s alright.” Sebastian quickly called her while adjusting their poor human’s weight a little. “She’s simply passed out. I think that it’s fine in this case, though, now that the true danger is out of the way. Let’s let her rest and recuperate.”

“Oh thank goodness.” Grelle sighed out. “I swear, this poor thing is going to be the DEATH of me…”

“Hush now, you know as well as I by now how fragile humans are.” Sebastian smirked despite his sass, confidence that everything was alright now starting to return as they both stood from the floor.

However, that was very short-lived as the head chef took that moment to rush in.

“Oy, Sebastian! Where the hell were you?? I thought we were keepin’ the plan for you to take the main floor covered, why’d you–”

Bardroy’s voice left him instantly at the sight of the butler standing there with an unconscious Mey Rin in his arms, her arm out of it’s sleeve and covered in a bloody bandage wrap. Not even the vibrant red-headed oddity that was Grelle Sutcliff surprised him more.

“Holy shit,” Was all he could utter next, and scratched his scruffy head frantically. “What the hell happened?!”

“Mey Rin’s been shot,” Sebastian replied. After the ordeal they’d all been through, he frankly didn’t have the energy for a lengthy explanation.

Bard’s cigarette fell from his lips. He viewed Mey Rin as a sister, not just a comrade-in-arms, and distress smothered his spirit like the smoke that permeated a burning building. Bard had lost his share of friends on the battlefield; did this spectacle bring back those tragic memories? “Is she—” he croaked out.

“Yes, she’s alive, and should recover, but it will some time, I fear,” Sebastian said. The demon gathered Mey Rin in his arms and gingerly got to his feet, as did Grelle. “Has the enemy been eliminated?”

Bard ran a hand through his hair and cast another worried glance at Mey Rin. “Got all the bastards…well, Finny an’ I kept one o’ ‘em alive in case ye wanted t’ interrergate ‘im.”

Sebastian felt his lips curl in what, if Bard’s disconcerted expression was anything to go by, must have been a devilish smile.

“It would be a delight,” the demon hissed. They’d pay for hurting Mey Rin. Oh, how they’d pay.

“I trust you’ll let me join you?” Grelle purred in his ear. “After we’ve tended to Mey Mey, of course.”

“By all means. But onto our first order of business—we need to put her to bed. Bard, you come with us; we’ll need someone to keep watch over her while Miss Sutcliff and I question our uninvited guest.”

The three quickly made their way to Mey Rin’s room. Sebastian laid her down with the greatest of care, and he and Grelle tucked her in. Her face retained the pallor it had acquired, but she seemed peaceful. Grelle bent down to press a quick kiss to her cheek. Sebastian petted her hair compulsively—he needed confirmation of Mey Rin’s presence, proof upon proof that she had survived. It was with great reluctance that they withdrew, leaving Bard to pull up a chair and take one of the maid’s hands in his.

Still, as demon and reaper strode towards the room where the sole remaining miscreant had been bound and gagged, Sebastian felt a twinge of dark satisfaction. After the fright they’d all suffered, he intended to return the favor with interest. Grelle’s eyes glittered like those of a predator that had just spotted its next meal.

“How I love to play the butcher! We’ll paint his final moments pretty, pretty red, shan’t we?”

Sebastian sensed his teeth sharpening to fangs in vicious anticipation.

“Most definitely.”

---

After cleaning up the mess they’d made (they’d gotten a bit carried away, but Sebastian wasn’t sorry in the slightest), the two made haste back to Mey Rin’s room. Bardroy still sat alert, a faithful sentinel.

“How is she?” Grelle and Sebastian both asked at once.

“Sleepin’ like an angel. No fever or nuthin’, neither,” Bard reported with a smile of relief.

“Well done. You may go now—you and Finnian should try to get some rest for tomorrow.”

“But Mey Rin—”

Sebastian held up a hand to ward off his protests.

“Miss Sutcliff and I will tend to her for the rest of the evening. I can assure you that we’ll give her the best of care.”

Bard wavered, but finally relented. With a quick “G’night, Mey Rin,” and a brotherly squeeze to her hand, he departed. Grelle and Sebastian sat on the mattress on either side of her and gazed down at their human. Her breathing was slow and even. She looked surprisingly peaceful, considering how close her brush with death had been. The reaper gently reached out and lightly placed her hand on Mey Rin’s chest, over her heart. Sebastian instinctively put his hand atop Grelle’s. I’m still here, Mey seemed to tell them with each rise and fall of her chest. Sebastian heard a sniffle, and looked up to see that Grelle had tears in her eyes.

She trembled. “Oh gods, what a night. Bassy, what if we’d lost her?”

Sebastian touched his forehead to Grelle’s, noticing to his chagrin that his own eyes had grown watery. How peculiar.

“I know, I know.” His free hand moved to stroke Grelle’s hair. “But we saved her, Miss Sutcliff, and I swear on my aesthetic that we will heal her.”

The reaper huffed a quiet laugh at that particular phrasing.

“Just on your aesthetic, little Sebas?” She simply asked while wiping her eyes.

Sebastian openly looked confused at this question, and out of nowhere as well.. the reaper had known by now how important such things meant to the demon.

“Of course, what else would I swear on?”

Even as he asked, truly curious where she was coming from, there was a nagging feeling coming on that he should’ve understood already.

Grelle seemed to take that in a moment longer before smiling to herself and closing her eyes. She shook her head briefly and replied with a quiet “Oh, nevermind.”

She definitely didn’t feel like going into that just yet. They’d cross that bridge eventually, but for now their focus should remain on their human.

After another brief peaceful gap of time where they sat in the same spot on the bed and kept their eyes glued on Mey Rin, Sebastian broke the silence with a sigh, taking out his pocket watch.

Grelle knew what that meant.

“Time to face the bratty music, eh?” She quipped sadly

“Unfortunately,” Sebastian muttered, and then promptly leaned in to kiss his saddened lady. “But you know I will return once he’s in bed.”

While Grelle accepted the kiss, she still frowned with concern.

“If he will go to sleep once he knows there was a bloody sneak attack that took out Mey Mey and caught you, his demon butler, off guard.”

“Now Grelle– ”

“Don’t “Now Grelle” me, Sebastian, you know damn well I’m right!“

Sebastian grimaced with the prospect that she was right in this vein, his mind once again racing to think up a fix for this…

“Well, we are certainly not going to force Mey to continue working while she heals. I’m sure even my young master, despite all his cruelty, is not that unfair. He will understand she may be inhumanly efficient with sniping, but is very much human in other respects. Even if, as I said earlier, this has… Never happened before.”

The demon’s eyes drifted back to the sleeping human in question, once again that strange feeling of constant concern rising in his gut. It made him almost want to grab it, check his own vitals to see if everything was still intact.

“Oh! Oh!” Grelle gasped out of nowhere, breaking the demon’s train of thought just in time before he felt too enveloped in these emotions to even risk leaving the bed.

“Yes? What is it, rufina?”

“I know this is a long shot, darling, I know, but.. what if I offered to take her place for the time being!”

Sebastian’s glowing eyes bulged in the darkness of the room.

“You- you want to take Mey’s place, and help guard the manor and the young master?!”

Grelle instantly struck a brave pose while still sitting, of flexing her arm out, bending at the elbow, and putting her hand over her upper arm as if there were an impressive but of muscle there standing out.

“Why not?! I may get into a little trouble back at work, but it’ll be worth it to stand in for my precious Mey Mey!”

As much as Sebastian inwardly wanted to embrace and cheer his beloved on for this sudden display of kindness, his mind reminded him instantly of why this couldn’t possibly work.

“As much as I’d love to be wholly on board with this Miss Sutcliff, aren’t you forgetting you severed any chances of my master trusting you when you killed his aunt?”

Hence why they always had to sneak around like this in the first place…

“Oh come on, what other option will he have? Just go with one guard short? Give that little snake guy from that circus a gun??”

Sebastian instantly snorted at that, the mental image of Snake with a gun quickly taking over, but he shoved it back just as fast and cleared his throat.

“Of course not, but I still doubt this’ll be an easy sell all the same, rufina.”

“Maybe so, but.. it’ll be worth a try, won’t it?” Grelle decided to attempt puppy eyes, as well as pulling Mey Rin’s limp hand up, gently rubbing her own cheek over it while she looked up into the demon’s cat-like eyes. “For her?”

A loud, long suffering sigh answered her, but the demon smiled all the same.

“Very well, I will try my damnedest to sway him.” He gave the delighted reaper a kiss, and then also moved to kiss the soft, cool hand she was still holding as well. “Stay here and watch over our human, my dear.”

“Gladly, my sweet, soft Sebby.” She couldn’t help but purr out.

This, of course, got the result she had been hoping for. The demon’s face flaring up with heat. He gave her a look at that, then stood from the bed and hurried off to do what he intended.

-

Ciel may have gotten a little suspicious and impatient after another hour of waiting for someone to come get him and confirm that everything was clear.

It certainly sounded like everything was settled, no shouts were heard echoing from outside or downstairs, no gunshots either.

But that did not explain why his usually perfect demon butler was not arriving straight after to make sure he was alright and to take him to bed.

The boy was seconds away from finally commanding the demon come when he did come, just as he was, nothing missing or out of place that he could see.

Stopping in front of him, Sebastian bowed deeply at the waist.

“My sincerest apologies for the late arrival, my lord. Unfortunately a matter came up that I had to see to at once in the midst of battle.”

“And what “matter” would that be?” Ciel responded flatly, the obvious translation being ‘What was so much more important than coming to your master?’

“Mey Rin had been attacked from her position on the roof, my lord.” Sebastian opened his eyes and stared at the boy, making sure he knew how serious this “matter” was indeed. “A surprise attacker somehow got up there and managed to wound her in the shoulder blade with a pistol before he was.. taken care of.”

“They what?!” The boy instantly roared, straightening up from his slouched position and planting his hands on the arm rests.

“Do not fear, Mey Rin was seen to. Hence why I took much longer than usual. I managed to get the offending bullet out myself, and her wound was quickly sanitized and dressed.”

“Will she be alright to carry on, then?” The boy had to ask straight away, propping up his elbows this time and putting the tips of his hands together in a steeple pose in front of his mouth.

“That is the current issue, I believe she needs bed rest for the wound to heal properly, or else it’ll be aggravated if she has to still work with it.”

“And how long will that take, Sebastian?”

“In her case it will likely take up to ten days for the wound to properly heal.”

Ciel’s eyebrows scrunched up, his eyes going off to look away into space as he thought on this. But his next words were not exactly what the demon had expected..

“Where were you when Mey Rin got attacked like this, Sebastian?”

Sebastian’s mouth opened and, as per the order to “never lie”, he was about to say exactly where he had been at that moment, but after five years of playing this game with this brat, he knew that the boy already had the upper hand.

“I was clearly unable to stop the bullet from hitting it’s target, if that is what you’d like to know, my lord.” He decided on.

“You claim you know it was a surprise attack, Sebastian. How would you know as such when the likelihood that Mey Rin herself would able to tell anyone after being shot is very low. You must’ve had to have been there on the roof yourself to have known it was a surprise attack, if it was.”

Sebastian felt irritation shooting straight to outrage, but he quelled it, and kept that perfect poker face of his.

“You are a very good detective, my lord, as you have proven time and time again, but I frankly do not see why you must resort to such now when I am merely telling you what has happened to your loyal servant, and the current situation.” He smiled a little, tilting his head. “Do you still doubt me after all these years?”

“Oh shut up, Sebastian, this is a matter of uncovering what your roll was in all this.”

“I told you, sir. I took care of her wound.” He even raised his hand, revealing the still blood-stained glove he hadn’t had a chance to throw out yet. “Do you believe me now?”

The sight of the blood made the boy freeze up entirely. He had seen blood about a million times by now, and so the fact that this hit him so hard was confusing even to him.

“What happened after you took care of the wound?”

“Bardroy met me in the kitchen, and informed me that all was clear. He also told me that he and Finny had kept one particular unfortunate soul alive for interrogation.”

Ciel decided to skip any in between details at this point.

“What did the bastard say, Sebastian?”

This made the demon smile, “Oh not much. He was quite stubborn up until his last breath, I’m sorry to say. But from what I observed from him, he was new to the area, and the likelihood that so were the rest is very high.”

“A new group trying to rise up in the ranks, perhaps?”

“Perhaps, and they certainly have advantages.. Seeing how I must confess no other crime families have ever snuck up on one of our own like that before.”

Ciel lifted an eyebrow, immediately hearing a mild bitterness rising in the demon’s tone. He had a feeling it was not related to anything involving himself, but concerning what had happened to their maid.

“So, this means we have to be on high alert for more sneak attacks..” Ciel frowned thoughtfully. “And with our sniper out that’ll be harder to manage for sure.”

And so Sebastian saw his opening for Grelle’s idea.

“I have a suggestion, if I may be so bold, my lord.” He carefully spoke up before the young Earl could come up with anything himself.

“… Out with it.”

“You and I are both aware of how dea- Ah, efficient grim reapers are, yes?”

“… Considering one almost killed you, yes.”

Sebastian instinctively wanted to argue that he most certainly hadn’t, but no, no no.. He needed to stay on topic!

“Well, young master, what if we were to try allowing a reaper to help us during these ten days that Mey Rin is down?”

The boy’s eyebrow twitched noticeably.

“You, a demon, actually suggesting the help of a grim reaper?”

“Yes, I know it seems odd, but it seems far easier than hunting down another unique human like the ones we have gathered so far. Especially considering reapers tend to usually come to us.”

“You mean Sutcliff, don’t you, Sebastian.”

“Well, that’s-”

“Sebastian,” Suddenly the boy was out of his chair, blue eye blazing with indignation. “Why do I get the strangest feeling that that reaper is already HERE?!”

“Now my lord, there’s no need to get so riled up, especially so late at night.”

“Sebastian-”

“Even if the reaper was here, she is currently not in this room with us, yes?”

“SEBASTIAN!”

“Please lower your voice, the other servants have likely retired by now. You wouldn’t want them to-”

“I ORDER YOU TO TAKE ME TO WHERE EVER THAT BLOODY REAPER IS NOW, SEBASTIAN!”

---

Grelle heard the young earl several seconds before she saw him. Judging from his tone and volume, he was in a state of high dudgeon.

“I don’t know what the hell you were thinking, letting that person muck about in the middle of an attack on the manor!”

“My lord—”

“I don’t want excuses, you bloody demon!”

This wouldn’t do at all. Really, the little brat was going to wake dear Mey Mey if he kept this up. Sighing wearily, Grelle rose and flung open the door. An actress should always make a grand entrance. The earl skidded to a halt. A sorely chastened Sebastian stood at his side, looking like he’d been through a war. Grelle shot him a sympathetic look before turning her attention back to the wrathful bluenette.

“Good evening,” she said in as cheerful a tone as she could muster. Might as well try to keep things cordial.

The Watchdog shot her a withering look that would have felled a more timorous soul. “Spare me the pleasantries, Sutcliff,” he spat out contemptuously. “You have no business here.”

“My business, as you may recall, is death, and there’s certainly been plenty of that at the Phantomhive manor tonight. I just so happened to be assigned to reap the souls of those buggers who came to call.”

“And flirt with my butler, no doubt,” the earl interjected, wrinkling his nose as if a foul odor had just assailed his nostrils. “Come to think of it, that’s probably why he let Mey Rin get shot—because you were running around making a bloody nuisance of yourself.”

Both demon and reaper went stiff with rage, and Grelle thought she saw Sebastian’s eyes darken with remorse. He was supposed to be the perfect butler…of course he blamed himself for Mey Rin’s injury, and here the damned brat was rubbing the salt in the wound.

“YOU—” Grelle started to shout, before Sebastian shook his head firmly and pressed a finger to his lips. The reaper exhaled slowly through her nose and crossed her arms. Only with difficulty did she rein her temper in. Do it for Mey Rin, she reminded herself.

“Demons have their flaws, but Bassy didn’t let anything happen to Mey Me—to Mey Rin. He helped save her. But she’ll be out of commission for a while, so why not let death lend you a hand in the meantime?”

The child sneered. “If your performance as a butler is anything to go by, I’d rather do without. Besides, do you expect me to trust the person who killed my aunt?”

The words hit Grelle like a punch to the gut. She’d been expecting this, of course, but that did nothing to dull the pain of lost love. Despite her resolve, she flinched.

“Those were vastly different circumstances, young master, and Grelle bears us no ill will. She’s also far more competent than she initially led us to believe” Sebastian jumped in. Grelle felt a warm surge of gratitude. Her Bassy always had the right words for any occasion.

“But why would Sutcliff care about Mey Rin in the first place? What were you doing in her room, anyway?” the earl asked crossly, clearly unconvinced. A sharp little blighter.

“We ladies are sentimental creatures, and helping a dear acquaintance is the least I could do,” Grelle purred. Far too complicated to explain that she and Bassy were both Mey Mey’s lovers; the pipsqueak probably wouldn’t know what to make of that!

His icy blue eye glowered silently at Grelle before he spoke. “Take me to her. I want to see her condition for myself.”

As they entered the room and the Phantomhive caught sight of Mey Rin, his mouth set itself in a thin, worried line. The boy hurried to her bedside. For a while, he just stood there, gazing at the slumbering maid with a deeply troubled expression. He was a fragile little thing, and Grelle imagined that seeing one of his private soldiers in this battered condition must be a harsh blow.

“You’re certain about the ten days?” he asked finally, that blue eye downcast.

“At the very least, my lord. Considering the forces this new enemy has at their disposal, it’s inadvisable to be one staff member short. Grelle’s expertise would be a benison to us.”

The earl pinched the bridge of his nose with a weary air. Fatigue was probably getting to him at this point.

“Sebastian, if I did let Sutcliff…assist us…can you keep the reaper in check?”

“Most definitely.” The demon winked at Grelle behind his master’s back, and she had to suppress a giggle.

The boy straightened. Fixing his butler in an imperious gaze, he declared, “Very well. I shall allow this miscreant to substitute for Mey Rin, but you must ensure that Sutcliff does not cause any trouble. If the reaper poses a threat to us at any point during Mey Rin’s recovery, I expect that threat to be eliminated immediately. This is an order.” Sebastian’s jaw tightened. One of the dangers of their unconventional courtship was the possibility of him being commanded to oppose Grelle. But with Mey Mey’s well-being on the line, Grelle was willing to take the risk.

“Now that that’s settled, you really should be getting to bed, young master,” Sebastian added. “Grelle, can you stay with Mey Rin in the meantime?”

“Anything for you, my dearest darling Bassy.” She grinned at the earl’s nauseated expression. Oh, she’d toe the line, but the next few days were going to be interesting.

---

Even later on into the night, Mey Rin finally stirred, as one does when passing out much earlier in the day than to be expected.

She felt absolutely horrible too.

What time was it? What day was it? What had happened while she was out?

The girl grumbled and rubbed at her eyes, though she knew it would do nothing for her eyesight in such complete darkness.

But suddenly, a flicker of candlelight came on in the corner of her vision, and she turned a little to see a form lying beside her, mostly in all white, with black blotches here and there..

“Sebastian..?” She mumbled out, her own voice so weary and tired and dry that it surprised her.

“Yes it’s me, don’t worry dear.” The demon responded in such a gentle whisper Mey Rin physically felt it, and lowered her head back down on the pillow.

Sebastian’s hand came out to gently run through her messy locks, and the girl sighed, feeling herself calm even further.

“How is your shoulder, may I have a look at it?”

The girl took a moment to answer, as her mind needed to recall why Sebastian was asking her such a question.

“Oh,” She finally got out, and then tried to instantly sit up, so she could look at the shoulder in question.

“Easy, easy, now.” Sebastian was going on, shifting so he was in even closer and grasping her arm with tenderness to hold it steady.

His now bare hands took hold of the bandages, unfurling them slowly and just enough to get a peek.

And then his fingers of one hand very carefully pushed on the area surrounding it.

And that was all it took for Mey Rin to suddenly jerk away, a noiseless yelp coming from her mouth.

“Mm, wha?? Mey??” Grelle uttered as she was woken up, feeling the girl inadvertently push herself into the reaper’s body on her other side.

“Oh dear, my deepest apologies,” Sebastian immediately said, trying to make up for it with moving closer to the poor human again and hushing her once more, dipping his head to kiss her face, especially where he felt it heat up and her tears slip down. “Shhh, it’s alright. I won’t do it again, I promise. I was merely trying to check how tender it was now. Shhh, please, I-I’m sorry, Mey. Please let me just redress it and I’ll let it be.”

“Oh my poor little Mey Mey,” Grelle cooed as she came to grips with the situation and also encircled the girl in her arms. “It’s still very painful, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yes…” The girl whimpered, nodding and trying not to spaz out any more as she let her demon get some new wrapping to redress the wound. It a lot harder to deal with that she thought it’d be.

But now that they were all awake, Mey Rin had to take the chance to ask her bedmates some questions.

“How.. l-long was I asleep?” She started with.

“Roughly twelve hours I believe, give or take.” Sebastian immediately answered, but even saying it himself made the demon actually realize how bad that sounded for a human to be unconscious for so long. Especially when said human was very important to him..

“Can I get you anything dearest? Food? Water?” He had to ask her now.

Mey Rin ran her hand up through her hair and groaned. “W-Water please,” She managed.

Instantly the butler was gone, and only a second later he had returned with a glass filled with water.

Mey Rin gratefully drank it while Grelle couldn’t help chuckling. “Show off. I thought you weren’t allowed to do little things like that.”

“For the young master, yes, I have to resort to doing things as humanly as possible. However, he never said anything about anyone else.”

Especially anyone else important to me, He added in his mind as he slipped back into bed and curled up close again to the girl, starting to purr almost instantly as she cuddled back after she’d drank her fill of water down and handed the glass back.

“So.. does the young master… know about what ‘appened?” She continued on, though this question clearly made fear and anxiety rise up in her. Not everything was coming together yet, but the implications of what had happened and how the next few days would likely be were beginning to come to the forefront of her thoughts.

Reaper and Demon glanced across the way at each other, both pairs of glowing eyes riddled with concern over this topic. They knew their human so well by now. Knew the girl did her very best each and every day as the head maid, as well as the group’s sniper. She had so much more pride than one would imagine at first glance. After everything she’d been through to get to this point in her life, she never wanted to take it for granted, or lose it. The demon especially always felt the roiling, beautiful passion, pride and happiness Mey Rin had gained, embodying her soul as he had come to be closer acquainted with her.

Unlike other times with such similar souls, he never wanted his Mey Rin’s soul to ever be manipulated or damaged.

“Yes,” He finally managed to sigh out. “I’m afraid so. I had to relay everything, and well.. I’m sure you know by now how sharp he can be.” Sebastian sensed tension building in the girl, and had to reach around to hold her, trying to soothe as much as possible despite still having to tell her all this. “He eventually figured out that Miss Sutcliff was here and insisted he be allowed to see her as well as what became of you.”

Mey Rin stared out into the darkness of her room. “Was… he angry at me? A-At Grelle??” She whimpered, fearing what would happen next despite half her mind knowing logically it must’ve not been too bad if Grelle was still there beside her, also moving in to cuddle her close.

“He was definitely sore with me, my dear, but I assure you that that brat was not angry at you.” Grelle told her firmly, and kissed her head for good measure. “AND.. guess what, Mey Mey?” She sung out softly, trying to get to the actual good part.

“Um, w-what issit, Miss Sutcliff?” She simply squeaked out.

“I’m not going anywhere any time soon, my sweet. I’m staying right here with you both, and I’m going to be deadly efficient in making sure you heal up right as rain!”

Mey Rin’s beautiful big eyes went even bigger at that.

“Wh-What?? Really?? H-How is that??” She asked, feeling elation briefly dominate her focus.

“Bassy and I managed to convince that little brat that his very important maid and sniper needed some time off while she healed, so of course, I get to stand in for you!” The reaper gave the girl a wink, hoping to delight her further.

Mey Rin’s mouth opened and shut continuously like a fish, looking from Grelle to Sebastian on her other side… and the more she looked the more her chest heaved and her eyes grew misty.

The two immortal beings found themselves baffled as their beloved human started to weep, but they both moved in even closer to hold her, both also covering her emotional visage in kisses and nuzzles and trying to comfort her in every way they knew.

“I… I… I am so happy.. to have you both, yes.” She gasped out, an emotion brewing so close to the surface she wanted to scream, but…she didn’t know if she could say the other thing that was right there, painfully obvious, in her mouth, just yet. It almost made her cry more at just being unable to say everything else she wanted to say.

---

The next few days were a mixed bag. The gunshot wound was awfully painful. Agony burst in her shoulder if was touched in just the wrong way. And being bedridden when she should have been up and about working for the young master was so bloody frustrating! Mey Rin couldn’t stand feeling like a burden and having people wait on her as if she was a fine lady. Still, it wasn’t all bad. Bard and Finny came to visit throughout the day. Bard would share the wildest tales from his army days, which made Mey Rin laugh so hard that she nearly forgot her pain. Dear Finny was sweet as an angel, far too scared to touch her for fear of causing harm, but showering her in love all the same. Like the little brother she’d never had.

Grelle and Sebastian had been just wonderful. Although his duties kept him busy, Sebastian checked on her every chance he could, even if he could only snatch a few minutes here and there. He inspected and dressed Mey Rin’s wound, which he said was healing just as it should. The demon would ask how she was and keep her abreast of what was happening in the manor, all the while holding her to his chest and stroking her hair. Sometimes they’d just sit like that, the companionable silence only broken by Sebastian’s purrs. Mey Rin merely had to say the word, and he’d be at her side in a flash with tea, biscuits, or whatever else might whet her appetite. He also insisted on bathing her. “You mustn’t overexert yourself, Mey,” he’d insist before scooping her up bridal-style and carrying her to the tub. His touch was gentle, gracious. Sebastian’s tenderness filled her heart with the same overwhelming emotion that had made her weep on the night of her injury.

Grelle’s vivacious presence never failed to take Mey Rin’s mind off her troubles. The reaper regaled her with stories of how she was getting on in the manor—she’d even helped the young master with his dancing lesson, would you believe! Grelle smothered her in cuddles and kisses, though Mey Rin certainly wasn’t complaining. She’d braid or comb Grelle’s hair, which the reaper inevitably adored, and Grelle painted the maid’s nails with the most intricate designs to help her pass the time. Of course, the very best hours were at night, when both Grelle and Sebastian could be there. Mey Rin’s contentment at being nestled between them was the best feeling in the whole wide world. Yes it was!

On one such night, though, Mey Rin couldn’t contain her restlessness. She shifted uneasily on the mattress. Oh, she hated being out of commission like this! How much longer would it go on?

Grelle lightly touched her good shoulder. “Something’s wrong, darling.” It was more a statement than a question.

The maid swallowed nervously. She didn’t want to seem petulant and ungrateful after what they’d been doing for her, but she had to get this off her chest. “I just feel so useless!” She burst out. “’ere I am, makin’ things ‘arder for everybody, and takin’ you away from your work at that dispatch place, an’…an’ I can’t stand it, sometimes!”

“It’s no trouble to me, darling. To tell the truth, I rather like having a little holiday from that boring old office, especially when I get to be with my loves!” Grelle assured her at once, wrapping her arms around Mey Rin’s waist.

Sebastian was quick to join in. He held them both and kissed Mey Rin’s cheek sweetly. “Dearest, we’re just happy you’re here. I’d wait on you hand and foot for the rest of my days if it meant you were alive and well. We were both scared as hell that night…I don’t know what I would have done if we’d lost you.”

Mey Rin’s eyes widened. Sebastian sounded more vulnerable than she had ever heard him.

“You do realize how much you mean to us, don’t you?” he continued, eyes glowing red in the darkness. “We’ll do anything to protect the woman we love—”

He broke off, seeming to realize just what he’d said. Mey Rin was speechless. They…they loved…her?

“Exactly right! We adore you, Mey Mey, surely you know that,” Grelle added. Her hug tightened, and Mey Rin’s emotions once again spilled over and turned to tears.

“I love you, too! So, SO much! I can’t imagine my life without you, now…an’…an’ I’m so grateful you’re here, I am! I’m the luckiest girl who ever lived!” she sobbed, clutching at the demon and reaper who meant the world to her.

Sebastian blinked dazedly. I actually said that. Ironic that, swept away by thoughtless sentiment, he’d finally recognized the feelings he’d been harboring for who knew how long. Though supposedly anathema to his kind, “love” had to be the only word that could describe them. He cared about the woman in a way he’d never cared for other mortals, and her near brush with death had forced him to come to terms with how precious Mey Rin truly was. And dear Grelle…perhaps Miss Sutcliff was right about the “red string of fate” that she claimed bound the three of them together. The trio nestled close in the darkness, exchanging three little words among themselves like a marvelous treasure that they had unearthed after much struggle and travail.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

[shinigami-mistress]

(Evil?) Queen Grell

I was joking around with a story for lovely Queen Grell here, and I actually ended up writing it out fully! It’s a tad long, but I wanted to post it for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s a total crack fic - a fairy tale AU, but I had a blast writing it.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful yet slightly insane queen named Grell who ruled over her chaotic kingdom with flair and a certain deadly charm. She was a beauty to behold with blood red hair, fair skin, and eyes of green and gold, but she was as dangerous as she was beautiful. Everyone approached the queen with great caution as no one wanted to incur her wrath.

Each day began the same for queen, although she typically eschewed routine, and this day was no different. She awoke at her own leisure and then went through an intense beauty ritual. No one, not even her most faithful servants, was allowed to lay eyes on her until her hair was styled, her makeup applied, and her wardrobe perfectly assembled. Today she had styled her hair in loose ringlets that were piled upon her head with only a few curls allowed to cascade down her bare back. Her dress was scarlet - a shade darker than her hair, and clung like a second skin to show off her slender muscles. It was cut low in back; stopping just shy of her hips although the skirt was full. With the dresses gold trim, she truly looked like a present just waiting to be opened.

Finally ready, Queen Grell quit her chamber, but she didn’t go to her throne room or even to the dining hall. Instead, she walked down a long hall to a set of narrow steps that led to a tall tower forbidden to everyone but her. This was also part of her ritual, and everyone had long since learned to stay back. The queen was not to be approached until it was completed.

At the top of the tower was a tiny, round room with a single window that commanded a spectacular view of much of the kingdom. Grell ignored that as she crossed the room to remove a red, velvet curtain from the wall to reveal an ancient mirror.

The black trimmed mirror wasn’t much to look at. There were cracks along the right bottom corner that looked like a growing spider’s web, and the surface had a scratched, burnished appearance that didn’t seem as if it would be good for reflection. Grell, however, ignored all these things as she stepped in front of the mirror.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” she began, “Who is the most fabulous of them all?”

“Fu, fu, fu,” a voice laughed, “You know the rules for a request so bold. To hear my truth, a joke must be told.” A face formed in the mirror - a pale face mostly covered by a mass of silver hair. The eyes were hidden, but the mad smile was in plain view. A twisted scar crossed threw the visible flesh before disappearing beneath the hair.

“Stupid mirror,” she growled, “Answer my question before I break you. Am I still the fairest?”

“Temper. Temper, my hothead queen,” replied the mirror, “I have much to reveal. There’s much to be seen. A simple joke - a humble laugh will do, and I will show everything to you.”

Grell shook her head, but thankfully she had heard a joke just the other day. Because of the mirror, she had started collecting jokes so that each day she could hear what the mirror had to say. “In Florence, a young woman who was somewhat a simpleton, was on the point of delivering a baby,” Grell began, “She had been enduring pain for some time and the midwife, candle in hand, inspected her. ‘The baby should be coming,’ said the midwife. ‘Look also on the other side,’ the woman said, ‘My husband sometimes takes that road.’”

The mirror didn’t speak for a few moments. He only shook his head and gave the tiniest of gigglies. “That wasn’t much,” he said, “There was no zing, so I will show you some but not everything.”

“Just show me!” Grell insisted.

The face melted from in view and in its place Grell saw a tall man with pale skin and raven black hair. He moved elegantly, almost catlike as he performed generic servant duties with his own special flair.

“He certainly is a handsome man,” Grell cooed, “Perhaps I should introduce myself.”

“This man, Sebastian is his name, already knows of you and of your fame,” stated the mirror.

“Oh?”

The image faded as the face returned to the forefront to nod. “Sebastian has seen you; has examined your face,” said the mirror, “He called you a freak and a perverted disgrace.”

Grell gritted her rather sharp teeth together. She threw the curtain back over the mirror and rushed out of the room. She raced as fast as she could down to the dungeons - thinking that she was getting quite the workout this morning. At least it was good for her gorgeous legs.

“Othello!” she shouted as she ran into a small room off of the dungeon.

A small man with bushy dark hair looked up as she ran into the room. He smiled around a piece of black licorice, but he didn’t bother standing up. “Well, if it isn’t dear Grell,” he said, “It’s not often you come to visit me.”

“You’re supposed to refer to me Your Majesty,” Grell said, “but that isn’t important now. Do you have my apples ready?”

“Absolutely,” he said, “Although I’m really a scientist and not some sort of evil cook you know.” He jumped to his feet and crossed the room where he picked up a serving tray. There were two apples on the tray - one green and one red. Both looked very ripe and delicious. “The green apple is a special poison apple of my design,” he explained, “Once some takes a bite of it, they will fall into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a true love’s kiss.”

“Why is it always a kiss?” Grell asked.

“Medieval sorcerer's code, 10577,” Othello answered, “It was one of the few concessions we had to made. Anyway, the green one is poison and the red one is that special love at first sight apple you wanted me to make for Willy poo.”

Grell picked up the apple. “Aw, my dear William,” she said, “One bite of this, and I will melt that cold heart of yours so you will be all mine.” With a laugh, she gathered both apples in her hands. Using her own magic, she transformed her image from that of a glorious queen, to that of a lowly and somewhat plain looking servant. Apples in hand, she set out on her new mission.

As she left, Othello resumed eating his licorice. “Wait,” he mumbled to himself, “Maybe the green one is the love potion and the red one is poison. I don’t know. Grell will figure it out.” He leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms behind his head.

No one noticed the rather mousy servant with the now long, brown hair exit the castle and run through the kingdom. While Grell hated being seen in such drab attire with boring hair and no makeup, it was the easiest way for her to travel without her guards. Without pausing, she hurried into the surrounding woods.

William, her beloved, was a woodsman, so he was always in the woods this time of day. Following the sound of the axe, she found him rather quickly where he was working with his apprentice, a young blonde man by the name of Ronald.

“Hello, William!” Grell called as she approached. To her great fortune he appeared to be alone. She wouldn’t want Ronald or anyone else accidentally eating the apple. “A fine day to be cutting wood, is it not?”

William paused; his axe casually perched across his right shoulder. “So far, we on schedule, so that’s good,” he answered, as he narrowed his eyes. “You know me by name, but I don’t believe we’ve met.” He was a tall, handsome man. While he wasn’t as flashy as Sebastian, he was still quite easy on the eyes with dark hair, intelligent green eyes, and well made features.

“Oh, you’re just well known is all,” Grell said - half cursing her disguise, “Here, have an apple. I’m sure you’re hungry from all that hard work. Reaching into a basket she had been carrying, she produced the red apple. “I just picked it, so it’s fresh. It would be a delicious snack for you.”

William took the apple hesitantly. “Thank you, I suppose,” he said.

“Just don’t eat it until I get back,” Grell said, as she turned away, “I want you to be looking in my eyes.” Laughing, Grell hurried away.

“Honestly,” William said, as adjusted his glasses. It was a strange encounter, but at least the apple did look appetizing. After wiping it on his shirt, he took a large bite.

From the vision she had seen in the mirror, she knew that Sebastian was currently working at the Phantomhive estate, which was just outside of her kingdom. She hurried to the location, and was happy to see that Sebastian was standing outside, serving some young brat on the lawn. She could have sworn there were actually two brats that lived her, but she never really cared for much details. Sebastian was her target, so she marched straight up to him.

“Working hard, I see,” Grell greeted.

“It is my duty to work as hard as is needed by my master,” Sebastian answered. In person, he was even more charming that just his image, but she would not be deterred. After all, he had supposedly called her a freak.

“From one servant to another, here,” Grell said, as she handed him the green apple, “Please, take a bite.”

“No thank you,” Sebastian said, and he started to drop the apple to the ground.

“Wait!” Grell cried, as she caught the apple, “I insist. You don’t want to be rude now, do you?”

“Sebastian!” the boy yelled, “Just take a bite of the apple and get rid of that freak! We have a lot to do today.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Sebastian said. As instructed, he took the apple and took a large bite of it. He chewed and swallowed the piece, as Grell watched - her disguise fading slowly until she was back to her usual, wonderful self.

“How do you feel?” Grell asked.

“A bit surprised to see you, Queen Grell,” Sebastian said, as he took her arm, “I’m afraid I’ll have to escort you off the property. Master’s orders. Although, for once I find myself hating to have to follow those orders.”

“You do?” asked Grell. Her voice raised in surprise as she was removed from the property. She had expected him to feel weak or at least ill. Othello had assured her the apples worked rather quickly.

“Yes,” Sebastian said, “because I find you rather fetching at the moment.”

Realization struck Grell with the force of a bolt of errant lightning. The apples had been switched! She would have to get her hands on Othello later but she had more important things to worry about at the moment. “William!” she cried as she jerked from Sebastian’s grasp and ran with the speed of a frightened lover back to the woods.

The first thing she saw when she returned was Ronald. He had apparently just been in another part of the woods when she had been here before. The young man was now leaning down over the prone body of William who was lying in a rather awkward position. “William!” she cried again, as she ran to the spot and knelt by his side.

“Oh, Queen Grell!” Ronald exclaimed, as he stood and rubbed the back of his head rather awkwardly. He noticed her attention was on William. “Yeah, the old man just sort of collapsed or something. I found him like this, with this apple by his body.” He held up the apple with a very conspicuous bite missing.

“Get rid of that!” Grell hissed, and she swatted the apple from his hand. Looking back at William, she shook her head. “I told you to wait,” she said, “but no matter. I’ll save you.”

Standing, she straightened her dress. “Make my darling comfortable,” she said, “and I’ll be right back to save him.” With that order, she dashed behind a clump of trees while Ronald was left only to stare down at William.

All it took was a kiss, but soon her darling would be looking straight into her eyes, so she had to look her absolute best. She took out a compact to make sure her makeup was still intact. Her reflection was so attractive, she couldn’t resist but wink at it before she pulled out her lipstick to reapply it. A little extra touch never hurt. Just as she finished, she heard Ronald cry out - yelling for someone or something to stop.

She reemerged, but she found Ronald now standing alone as William’s body was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s my darling?” she asked.

“He was taken by some...big, black cloud thing,” Ronald said, “I don’t know what it was, but it just swooped down and took him.”

“Where did it take him?” Grell cried.

Ronald pointed to a road that led away from the kingdom and towards the forbidden castle of dolls. “That way,” he explained, “I didn’t even have a chance to stop it.”

“Like you could have,” Grell snapped. Looking around, she grabbed an axe before running at full speed towards the forbidden castle.

“You don’t have to get all pissy with me,” Ronald mumbled, as he sat down in the shade to wait.

The road towards the castle was rough as it was rarely taken, and Grell nearly tripped several times over rocks, thorns, and tree roots which had overtaken the path. This was no road to attempt wearing heels, even though they made Grell’s backside look delectable. With great care and great speed, she hurried towards the castle, which loomed before her like a dark mountain.

“What are you doing here, my queen?” a familiar voice asked.

Grell turned and saw Sebastian sitting on a nearby rock. “I could ask you the same thing,” she said.

Sebastian stood and walked towards here. “I’m just here to make sure you don’t anything foolish,” he said, “You seem to be heading towards the Castle of Dolls. That would be a mistake. You know there’s countless possessed dolls in there all posed to attack, and they will turn you into a doll yourself if they manage to catch you.”

“They aren’t going to stop me,” Grell said, “I have to go in there and rescue William. He’s in there!”

“I know,” Sebastian replied, “I put him there.”

“You?” Grell asked, “But why?”

He moved closer to Grell; the soft wind toying with his hair like a lover’s caressing fingers. “I didn’t want the competition,” he said, “I wanted you for myself all alone.” He wrapped Grell in his arms. “Leave him and love only me,” he purred.

This was certainly unexpected, but now that Grell was in this situation she realized even more that William was the one she wanted. Sebastian was certainly handsome, and it did her ego good to hear him profess his love to her, but he would nothing more than a fling. She wanted passion, romance, and love.

“It would never work out,” she said, as she pushed away, “I must save my William. If you try and stop, I will fight you.”

“I would never dream of trying to stop you,” he said, with an odd smile, “Do what you feel you must.”

Grell was surprised by his lack of willingness to fight, but she was happy there would be no more interruptions from Sebastian. With a quick nod, she hurried on down the path until she came to the castle.

From the outside, it only looked like a run-down, slightly crumbling castle. It wasn’t even all that impressive as her own castle was much larger and more elaborate, but there was a feeling in the air that seemed to take your breath as you approached. Grell recognized this as very old, very dark magic, but she had to press on. Bravely, she opened the doors.

There were dolls everywhere. Broken marionettes hung from the ceiling. Smaller, children’s dolls littered the floor, while large, human sized dolls were lying on chairs or propped against the walls. Grell stepped into the room, and the door slammed shut behind her, as the dolls all opened their eyes slowly and turned towards her. A soft growl from an unknown source slipped around the room and she could hear the creaking of their joints as they began to move as one.

“For William!” she cried, with the axe high above her head. Leaping into the air, she sliced through the mannequins’ strings and they made a cry like a rusty scream, before she raced through the room. She moved like a caged animal as she chopped and cut at everything in sight. Not a single doll lay a digit on her as soon they all lay in mangled heaps of chopped limbs and heads.

She hurried up the steps and she searched for William. There were dolls in every room, but none stood a chance against her. Soon they ever tried to retreat, as she saw them scurrying to hide under beds and in dressers, but she was determined not to let one live. After searching many rooms, she finally found William lying on the bed of rather large, impressive bedroom. Breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped into the room to deliver her loving kiss.

A final doll jumped in her path. Some distant part of her mind realized that this doll looked much like the brat Sebastian served, but she didn’t care about such details. He moved with a precision and intelligence unlike the other dolls.

But he was still an obstacle.

There was shock and horror on his painted face when she attacked with her axe. He dissolved into sawdust within minutes as if he had never had a solid form, leaving Grell the easy victor. With a smile on her face, she jumped over the pile of dust to kneel by William’s side.

“My darling,” she said, as she pushed back a strand of hair from his forehead, “I’m here.”

“You did a good job,” Sebastian suddenly said. Somehow, he had suddenly appeared in the room, and was now sifting through the sawdust left by the last doll.

“I’m not leaving William for you,” Grell said.

Sebastian laughed. “Do you really think your little love potion ever worked on me?” he asked, “I only needed this.” He pulled a brilliant blue ring from the dust. “I was forbidden from directly destroying this doll, so I needed someone to do that for me. You did wonderfully.” He smiled darkly as he bowed. “I truly hope we never cross paths again,” he said before leaving the room.

“Jerk,” Grell muttered, but there were more important things to focus on now. With a gentle smile, she leaned forward and kissed William deeply.

He opened his eyes almost immediately. “What are you doing?” he demanded, as he pushed her back. Sitting up in bed, he looked out a nearby window. “Is it that late?” he asked, noticing the sun, “Where has the day gone. I’ll have to work overtime tonight or I will fall behind.” Mumbling to himself, he quickly stood and left the room.

Grell smiled. Her ice cold darling was back, and her love had brought him back. True, she was the reason he had fallen into the sleep to begin with, but he didn’t need to know about that particular detail.

It was after dark before Grell returned to her castle. Taking a candle, she hurried up to her tower to see the mirror one more time that day. When she removed the curtain, the silly face appeared to be sleeping and snoring - a line of drool escaping his mouth.

“Wake up!” she hissed, and the face slowly shook itself awake.

“Aw, my queen,” he began, “I watched your travel. A mistake in the apples almost made your plans unravel. But you did well, facing all those dolls. Shame old Willy still won’t be returning your calls. Fu. Fu. Fu.”

“Never mind that,” Grell hissed, “but I have a question. Why did you tell me about Sebastian? I want to the fairest in my kingdom - my land. Sebastian lives outside my borders.”

The face smiled. “I’ll tell you this time without asking for pay, because watching you through my glass has truly made my day. I showed you Sebastian. That much is true, but never did I once say he was fairer than you.”

Grell was shocked. “You...you tricked me?” she asked, “Then, am I still the fairest in the land.”

“Well, there is someone fairer, and that much is plain to see,” he answered, as he shook back his hair revealing his handsome face. “The fairest in the land is actually me!”

Grell frowned as she pulled a hammer from the inner liner of her sleeve. With one simple swing, she took care of the problem at hand.

“Who needs a magic mirror anyway,” she said, as she dropped the hammer to the floor and left the room.

[shadow-wolfhawk]

Shadow Speculates: Black Butler – Grim Reapers, Part 1: SASCHA

Greetings!  Welcome to the first installment of “Shadow Speculates”. Today’s topic – Black Butler, specifically the Grim Reapers.  I’ll be offering up my opinions on each Reaper that has appeared in the manga thus far, but today let’s start off with one little Reaper who has captured my imagination – Sascha from Germany.

Say “hello”, Sascha –

Such a cutie!  Anyway, I have some thoughts on this adorable Reaper, so let’s get started.

 Now, this is all just OPINION on my part and is by no means meant to be taken as canon.  With that in mind…:

 There’s been some discussion among the fandom regarding Sascha’s gender and I’ve done some reviewing of the chapters and I’ve come to the opinion that Sascha is a boy.  And if this is the case, that could make Sascha a very heartbreaking character.  Note that I said that Sascha is a “boy”, not a “man”.  In other words, Sascha is a child.

Let’s examine this for a moment.  First, I’ll need Grelle’s assistance –

(*All dialogue in the following panels is from the official translations by Yen Press)

Thank you, love. Grelle says that she is the “only lady in the retrieval division”.  From the OVA “The Story of Will the Reaper”, William introduces us to the various departments of the Grim Reaper Dispatch Association.  When he shows us the Collections/Retrieval department, he informs us that they are the ones who actually “harvest the souls on site.” So, they do the field work.  Now, we know that Grelle is biologically male, but she is the only woman who does field work.  This makes sense, considering the times.  Women did not work in the field, but were kept to office work.  In the OVA, we see female reapers in other departments (such as the girl in General Affairs that Ronald’s flirting with), but none are shown in Collections.  If this keeps for the rest of the world’s Reapers, then Sascha could not be a girl.  He would not be allowed in the field if he were.  Boys, however, were allowed in the field.  Even in the military, boys as young as 13 were permitted on the battlefield in those times.  So, having a Reaper around the same age in Collections is plausible.

With this established, let’s take a look at his personality.  Ludger – care to say a few words about your partner there?

Mm-hm.  Anything else?

There’s another panel I would have liked to share, but was unable to find.  When Sascha begins on his excited little tirade, Ludger, seeming to know what’s coming from his partner, mumbles “Here we go again…” signifying that this isn’t the first time that Sascha has gone off on an excited ramble over something Ludger (an adult) finds trivial or less-than-thrilling.  

Let’s start with the first panel – so far this is true.  There haven’t been any other Reapers who show this level of enthusiasm.  Ronald – our resident frat boy – doesn’t show any interest in his job outside of getting it finished in time so he can get to a party or a date afterwards.  Even Grelle, who has been quoted as loving her work, doesn’t seem to show this level of excitement.  She loves delivering death and hacking people open with her beloved scythe, but that’s about it.  She doesn’t show interest in any other aspect.  Even this can be taken in an almost therapeutic way – it’s a way of taking out her aggression and frustrations.  (When you consider that she is the Black Butler identity of a real-life serial killer, that makes sense.  But, I’m not going to go all Criminal Minds on this one – we’ll save that for Grelle’s segment at later date.) Sascha shows a child-like glee over becoming a Reaper, something most would find depressing, especially when considering how one becomes a Reaper in the first place...

“I’ve found my life’s calling.”  That line, alone, tells you just how immature Sascha is.  He sounds like a youngster who doesn’t fully understand the consequences of his actions, yet.  He acts as though being a Reaper is all an exciting game.  The second panel shows our energetic youth, correcting a peer who can’t see what’s in front of them as a child would – wagging his finger and clicking his tongue while saying there’s way more to it than that.  Now, in this case, Sascha is right – there are greater implications:

As he continues to explain it to Ludger, he certainly demonstrates that he understands what it could mean for the world as far as advances in warfare, but he seems to view it through a child’s eyes.  He can only see that it would be a strong weapon and he can’t wait to see how it would play out in battle, not once giving thought to the potential devastation it would cause.  Yes, he thinks about the number of people it could kill, but the thought of a “great war that embroils all the nations the world over!” excites him, like a child who is playing a game of war.  Anyone who has seen the real devastation such a war would cause, would not think it’s a cool thing, the way Sascha seems to believe it would be – “I’d much prefer it to sitting around twiddling my thumbs!”  No.  No, you wouldn’t, dear.  Even Ludger and William tell you that.

 Ok – now let’s talk physical appearance.  For a male, Sascha appears to be very young, as well.  Compared to some of the other male characters, he is much shorter and looks to be closer in age to Ciel or Finny.  He wears a cardigan sweater under his blazer, which makes his uniform look more like a boarding school uniform than an office suit, which also adds to his youthful look.  Perhaps he’s still at the age where he would have been wearing such a uniform and was used to/more comfortable with wearing it.  He wasn’t yet at the age where he would have been wearing an adult’s three-piece suit.

This is where we get to the heartbreaking part that I mentioned earlier.  If this is correct, and Sascha is still a young boy – possibly at boarding school – it may be fairly easy to figure out the reason for his suicide.  He says that he’s much happier now than he was when he was alive.  For such an energetic, happy kid, it seems hard to imagine that he was so unhappy before that he felt compelled to take his own life. Unfortunately, we see that all too often among kids today.  To friends and family, they may seem happy on the surface, but underneath, it may be an entirely different story.  And not all of them want to talk about it.  It’s as prevalent today as it was back then – and boys at boarding school didn’t have much of an escape from it, if any at all.  

Simply put, I believe that Sascha was a victim of bullying.  It’s easy enough to imagine - considering that many suicides among children today are a result of bullying.  Kids got bullied back then, too, most likely with much the same outcome.

We even seem to get a hint of this from Ludger.  His facial expressions throughout the chapters they appear in, clearly show annoyance with his young partner, but he words his statements carefully.  He expresses his agitation without yelling at him or dressing him down any way, even though in some shots, he clearly wants to. As aggravating as he may find Sascha, perhaps he also knows that Sascha is still a sensitive little boy and he doesn’t want to sound like the bullies he faced when he was alive.

 Again, this is just my opinion.  Whether or not this is what Toboso-senpai had in mind, I do not know nor do I pretend to.

 So, what are your thoughts on this?  Leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today.  Next time, we’ll take a look at William T. Spears and see if we can figure out that gorgeous enigma.

Oh dear….

[kuroshitsuji-scenarios]

[Ephemeral]

Title: Ephemeral

Series: Kuroshitsuji

Pairing: Grell Sutcliff x Underweight!Reader

Words: 1519

Author’s note: I may or may not be considering writing a whole series of one-shots including various Kuro characters and underweight!reader.

Grell's lips tasted like a fine wine, sweet yet bitter, and you couldn't let go of the memories of her kissing you passionately right before heading to the bathroom where she was going to take a warm shower before getting dressed up and preparing for a party you two were invitated to. She left you alone in your shared bedroom, sitting at the edge of soft mattress covered with satine (looking so appealing that you honestly considered asking her to not attend to the meeting and staying in bed instead, cuddling and talking, which you knew she would certainly agree for) and with the taste of her lips stubbornly not leaving yours. From the opposite part of the room, your own eyes were sceptically scaning your body from the long mirror, alomost looking for all the flaws that seemed to be so obviously visible for yourself and somehow deeply hidden from your lover's gaze.

It was hard to tell, whether the surroundings became more silent or your heart started to beat more rapidly than before when you decided to stand up and walk toward your reflection, not letting go of the dress you were supposed to wear tonight. The rough fabric reminded you that you were still there, present as always and remembering about the passing time which you didn't have much since you didn't want to be late for a party Grell was so excited to attend. She was babbling about dancing, great food and even better wine waiting there for you both, that you couldn't simply ruin her mood with your own insecurities, not now, not again.

Indeed, it was obvious that Grell was the one to chose your attire, not only because of the dark shade of red it was made of but also because it should fit like a glove, covering your body just right, exposing your beauty – and it did, so why couldn't you stop feeling the urge to take if all off and hide under the sheets forever?

Slowly and gently you hovered your own hand over your chest and then moved it a little bit lower, until you could finally touch your sticking out ribs and angrily poke yourself right between two of them, noticing how many free space there was. The thin fabric of the dress seemed to emphasize them, as well as your hipbones and the sharp line of collarbones and you couldn't help but wonder if you couldn't go out tonight in a comfortable, oversized sweater in which you looked actually pretty and soft, huggable, not like a twig, or whatever insult the others called you.

You could recall the moment when Grell was kissing you just minutes ago, her warm, oh so delicious lips over yours, tongue trailing wet paths on your skin, swollen and reddened from her teasing bites, nevertheless there was still this one second of hesitation you were not able to not notice, the moment when she winced and seemed about to withdraw just when she embraced you tightly, as if having your bony body pressed tightly against hers was unpleasant, obnoxious even. You knew that she was naturally much stronger than you and of course, she could break you in a blink of an eye but she was also very aware of that and thus she would never do any harm to you. So why did it hurt so much, the growing possibility of her not being fond of your body anymore, not gaining any pleasure from touching you – moreover, becoming distant because of how imperfect you were?

Your own reflection began to fade when tears appeared in your eyes, as you were now unconsciously holding both of your hands to your tiny breasts, as if in an attempt of hiding them from yourself. Unwanted thoughts run through your mind, reminding you about all your anxieties, encouraged by the words you often heard, telling you that you were not a true woman, that without a curves you couldn't be attractive and you didn't have a chance to simply feel appealing, even to your beloved one. Grell was gorgeous, after all, perfect in every angle, as if she was a work of art of Michelangelo himself, that is why, there was no reason for her to waste time with someone like you, someone who's body made her almost push you away.

Long fingers rested gently on your hips and the next thing you realized was your lover's chin on your shoulder, her long, wet hair now falling down on both of you in a cascades of bloody waterfalls, wetting your outfit and her dressing-gown.

„What is wrong?” she muttered and placed a kiss on your exposed neck, nevertheless you were sure that she knew exactly what was wrong, as if she was reading your mind.

Another sweet, butterfly kiss landed on your heatened skin.

„I am disgusting,” you snarled, annoyed and sorrow because of this whole situation.

„You are not disgusting, you are absolutely gorgeous, who said that to you?” she answered patiently, dragging her sharp teeth over your shoulder.

„Everyone. You.”

Her actions suddenly stopped, warm breath still ghosted over your skin, even when she didn't kiss you anymore.

„What are you talking about?” she straightened her back and turned you to face her, now a grimace of grudge painted on her face.

She wasn't wearing glasses and her eyes seemed now even more radiant than ever before, reminding you that she was not a mere human who would be willing to fool you with lies.

„I have never insulted you in this way or another,” she added.

„Then why did you withdrawn when you hugged me?” You let the words past by your lips, not really thinking about what you were saying, wishing only to let all this pain go away somehow. „You always do it, as if you are disgusted by me, by my body. You may not say it out loud but it is still visible for me and it hurts, almost as much as hearing that I look anorexic, like a bag of bones, walking skeleton and that I am not enough.”

Grell seemed astonished by what she was hearing right now, so at first she only managed to lay a hand over her chest in a dramatic manner before gasping loudly and finally speaking.

„You are hurting my taste, dear! How could you think, even for a mere second, that you are not enough while you are much more than enough?” She rested her hands on the hips. „And who, the hell, decides what is enough and what is not? Are there any rules for that?”

„People say that...” you pouted, now slightly taken aback by her words.

„So, do I look like someone who cares what some pitiful humans think? For me you are absolutely perfect, I love you and I love your body; you appearing in my life was literally one of the best things that could ever happen to me and now you dare to say that some useless mortals are going to have an influence on your self-consciousness? I can assure you that I have every single one of them on my to-do list and so their idiotic views on beauty will be buried with them, there is no need to take it too seriously.”

She pointed a finger at you, now giving you a scolding look and not letting you speak, even though you were opening your mouth few times in an attempt of adding something to this conversation. More like a monologue now, though.

„You, young lady, are beautiful the way you are – with a great figure, slim legs, petite hands and those to-die-for collarbones of yours. I am not, never was and never will be disgusted by your body, on the contrary, you turn me on so much I could barely stand the thought of not touching you for the whole evening! I adore those adorable, perky boobs and your little ass and the way I can hold you closer by your hipbones simply because they fit my hands so well.” She didn't pause when the slight blush appeared on your cheeks. „I adore you whole so please, do not let this male bullshit get to you, because it is all a huge lie.”

There was a comfortable silence between you two, when you were getting adjusted to what she said and actually starting to feel as if she was right. She had to be, otherwise she wouldn't be so passionate about this lecture.

„Thank you,” you said eventually and stepped closer to embrace her hesitantly only to immediately get held in a bone-crushing hug.

„I love you, too, sweetheart,” she admitted, ignoring your struggling form (now partly from wanting to take a breath and partly from laughing because of the comicality of this situation) and still kepping you close. „And remember, they can all shove those insults right up their asses but they will still never have asses even almost as great as your is.”

[grelleswife]

Oh man those are good questions! Ugh I don't wanna spam you tho 🙈 uhh 3, 5 7 and 20!! If you can haha ❤

3. Least favorite part of writing.

Having to come up with “connective tissue” to link the parts of a story that excite me most. It’s hard to resist the temptation to skip past the necessary exposition and transition material and head straight for the good stuff! Another annoyance for me personally is the amount of time I need to invest to write well. Most of my works take at least three hours to write, if not more (and I’m only counting the actual writing process, not the hours I spend daydreaming in the shower, while commuting, etc.).

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.

Hmm...I think Dickens, Austen, and the Bronte sisters all had an influence, since I was first introduced to their works as an impressionable little middle schooler. And Yana Toboso’s art is an inspiration to me, as well. In a sense, I often try to emulate the beauty of her work in my own prose for Kuro fics, though I fall woefully short most of the time.

7. Favorite author.

Probably Tolstoy. I adore his worldbuilding-- the sprawling cast of characters and the little details that bring their universe to life. He makes you feel like you’re standing right in the midst of the action. Dickens is a close second for the same reason. In both cases, their works are like tapestries, with many intricate plots and subplots woven together into this gorgeous, cohesive whole.

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.

This is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Rosethorn, my Grellefellows fantasy AU; a bit of background info from Hannah’s perspective (Hannah’s a knight in this AU, while Grelle is a princess).

“It was much more sensible for Hannah to keep her distance, avoiding any interaction with the princess beyond superficial courtesies. Why subject herself to pointless heartache? The knight spent her few idle hours ensconced in her room with her beloved books. Among their pages, fragrant with that exquisite scent of knowledge and aged paper, she could slip away into other worlds and shake off the melancholy that wound about her heart like ivy. She sought solace in music, voicing her unrequited feelings on the harp, fingers summoning forth tunes so pure they might have been spun out of silver or starlight. Only the moon heard these secret lamentations.

But then had come the night of the ball.”

Thanks so much for the ask!