Sebastian

The sounds of the realm became more and more unbearable, to the point even the sound of his own pen was grating on what little nerves he had left. The silence now is exactly what he needed; a reprieve.

Winter, to him, means peace; solitude. It’s a stillness and everything he desires yet something rarely given as his subordinates are either incompetent or overconfident. 

A sound snaps him from his thoughts and it's not an animal. Despite how soft the landing is, a mortal could mistake it for some type of bird (a raven or crow) yet William knows all too well what truly made that sound.

In a blink, he spins on his heels and shoots out his scythe, the clippers embedding themselves into the treetrunk behind the demon that stands there, not even flinching when the sharp point barely clips his ear—a demon that looks untouched by the falling snow. “Am I not allowed a moment to myself?” William asks, speaking more to the universe than the butler.

“I wasn’t aware you wanted such.” Sebastian comments with a wry smile, “surely you would not send me away when I’ve not had the chance to be with you in quite a few weeks.”

William’s eyes flick warily over the demon, refusing to lower his guard, “you would stay whether I wanted you to or not.” William snaps, “and wipe that look off your face, demon.”

With a blink, Sebastian’s signature smirk returns as he runs the tips of his gloved fingers along the metal pole of William’s scythe, “you can’t fault me for wanting to see you.”

“I can when you disrupt my time alone.”

Sebastian begins walking toward him, dragging his fingers lazily along the pole as he approaches, “you know your time with me is much the same, for we both enjoy our solitude.”

William keeps that tight grip on his scythe, despite knowing Sebastian’s correct. There was a reason he sought out the demon from time to time, a reason that went beyond physical intimacy; a reason he doesn’t see the need to not make the demon work for, even just a little bit. “That’s not my fault, is it, demon? You’re the one who chose to accept the deal to be the butler of a child.”

Sebastian pauses and, for once in quite a long time, William feels truly watched as the demon’s gaze roams over him, as if the creature is dissecting him with his eyes alone. “You were overwhelmed, weren’t you? Your presence in the mortal world was not of a lackadaisical whim, but because you were near your breaking point.” Sebastian’s eyes meet back with William’s, “am I correct?”

William feels his eyebrow twitch. Right then, perhaps making Sebastian work for it will not simply be teasing now. “You do not understand the importance of my work and you never will, for a beast like you will always fail to understand.”

Sebastian continues forward, ignoring the bitter bite to William’s tone, “perhaps, but I can understand when a reaper has far too much to bear on his shoulders.”

“And how are you so certain about that?”

Sebastian hums, “you have not greeted me with such hostility in a very long time.”

Hostility?

The previous times he’d met Sebastian since this entire arrangement started, flashed through his mind and the demon’s right. He’d greeted the butler with almost welcoming arms, as if being with him was a relief, a weakness he should have never shown and yet, that is exactly what Sebastian has become. When did that happen exactly?

How?

Perhaps it’s the sudden shock of the realisation, but he finally lowers his guard, telescoping his scythe back to a reasonable length, holding it at his side like a staff and using the tips of the clippers to adjust his glasses. “I do not appreciate your assumptions.”

“Your actions tell me they are far more than assumptions.”

“Reagrdless, it means very little when there’s nothing you could do about it.” William states, turning his back on the demon, “now allow me time to be alone.”

The proof he didn’t want in how he’s found comfort with the demon comes when he doesn’t even flinch or tense when Sebastian places a hand on his hip, “you’ve been alone with me plenty of times before and not once have you lamented that you are not truly alone.”

Again, Sebastian’s right. He’d never admit it to Sebastian, or anyone—he’s still having difficulty admitting it to himself—but the demon’s presence is a welcome one, to some degree. The butler somewhat understands the stress of keeping one’s eye on so many places, of being the only competent being when it comes to daily duties, of being plagued with never-ending tasks. Yes, their work is significantly different (and William will not argue when he says his work is more important), there is a commonality that affords William a small bit more tolerance for Sebastian compared to other demons.

Still, can he really just allow himself to be this…familliar so easily? “Leave me be, demon. I don’t have time for you.”

Sebastian is not deterred by the ice of his words, “once again, your actions prove to me what your words will not.” William feels him inch closer behind him, “you’ve not pushed me away.”

“Because I know you’re too bloody stubborn. The more I push, the tighter you hold.”

He’s not at all surprised to feel the hand on his hip tighten but the second hand landing on his other hip does make him tense. “I would, yes, because from what I recall, you quite enjoy when I hold you like this.”

Knowing exactly what the demon’s implying, William yanks himself free with a bit more force than necessary, nudging up his spectacles to gather himself again, “noxious creature.”

Sebastian only laughs, “will you drop this facade of yours now? Or will I need to work to break through those walls you continuously put up?”

William takes a step forward, “all you need to do is leave me alo—”

One second he’s staring straight ahead of him.

The next he’s staring up at the cloudy white sky, watching the snowflakes spiral downward with his scythe dropped on the ground.

It takes him almost too long to realise what’s just happened before pure, unadulterated, embarrassment consumes him and all he can do is hide his face behind the palm of his hand, refusing to look at the tea-brown eyes that stare bemusedly down at him, a look that gives way to pure amusement. Easily, he’d caught the reaper in his arms, as if it were the end to a dance. Being this close only makes Sebastian's muted laughter all that more unbearable, “never speak a word of this to anyone.” he forces out, trying to sound as stern as possible.

“Now why would I keep such an entertaining accident to myself?” asks the demon with his enjoyment colouring every, mocking, word.

William lowers his palm, glaring at him but there’s no actual heat behind it, “have I mentioned how much I dislike you?”

“Oh dislike? That's an improvement!" Sebastian smirks, “only three letters away from admitting that you like me.”

William simply blinks, the red on his cheeks offsetting any unimpressed look the reaper tries to maintain. “Allow me up.” he says, trying to get his feet under himself only to recall it was ice he’d slipped on from a hidden frozen pond under the snow.

He barely gets one foot steady and Sebastian’s hands are only just letting him go when he’s unable to find proper footing; he goes down a second time, taking Sebastian with him when he scrambles to find support.

The cold from the snow seeps into the fabric of his clothes but the warmth from Sebastian hovering above him counteracts the chill. While William knows very well that Sebastian could have easily saved the both of them from the tumble, he also can’t deny he’s upset of how they've landed. “I thought Mr. Spears was light on his feet.” Sebastian comments, hands either side of William’s head, grinning down at the reaper.

He was. Normally. But the embarrassment from the first slip set his entire being off balance. “Shut up.”

“Mm, and how will you make me?”

William finally gives in, giving the demon what he wants. His fingers grab Sebastian’s tie and he yanks the demon down for a kiss he leans up to meet. 

It’s sweet and a little warm.

It’s affectionate, something William has a hard time using to describe the demon, and yet, he does. He can.

Tilting his head, he hears the demon sigh—no. That wasn’t Sebastian. That was him. The realisation should mortify him even more than he is, but, it doesn’t. Sebastian just embraces him further as a hand cups the back of his head while the other hand finds one of his to intertwine their fingers. It’s like all the pressure, all the stress, all the weight on his shoulders, has been lifted for these few, brief, moments; moments William will allow himself to indulge in as his arm wraps around Sebastian’s shoulders, pulling him closer, squeezing Sebastian’s hand tighter.

It’s not just the kiss that’s sweet and a little warm.

For a demon that’s not technically alive and a reaper who’s known for being cold, William’s found no place warmer than being in Sebastian’s embrace.

And maybe he wanted that kiss too.

Maybe he wanted it more than the silence he desired.

Maybe, Sebastian was right. He could enjoy the peace of being alone but that didn’t mean he needed to be alone to have that peace.