"Corporate Ladders"

A William/Ronald fanfiction

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) and all characters therein belong to Yana Toboso. I make no profit from the writing of this fanfiction, and it is strictly for entertainment purposes only.

"Bloody hell…I'm late again!"

Ronald hopped as he pulled his pants up, his slightly panicked gaze fixated on his alarm clock. He swore he'd set it the night before, but it didn't go off. The only reason he'd woken up at all was because of the phone call he'd gotten from Eric Slingby. He didn't get to the phone in time, but the Scotsman's voice came through loud and clear on the voice message recording.

"Just givin' a reminder tha' you've go' tae be at work in twenty minutes, lad. See yeh at tha rat race."

Well, thank gods for Slingby. Ronald couldn't say just how or when it had happened, but the two of them had become fast friends as he moved up in the ranks. Eric watched his back both on the clock and off it, and for that, Ron was grateful. He didn't even hide his accent around him anymore.

"Shoes…shoes…shoes…" Ronald's two-toned head whipped around as he searched his cluttered studio apartment for the nice, Italian shoes he'd just bought himself to compliment his uniform. He sighed in relief when he saw one of them peeking out from under his couch. "There y' are!"

He squatted down to dig them out, and he raced to his chest of drawers to procure a pair of socks. "I'd have been upset if I lost these," he muttered. It took three months of saving up for him to be able to afford them, and he'd barely been able to make rent after getting them. His mentor would have argued that he should put better furnishings and bills before fashion, if Grell weren't such a fashion freak himself. Humphries merely shook his head and smiled when Ron came into work showing them off.

Knox lived a bit like a slob, but he dressed in style. His work ensemble alone was worth more than all his furniture combined. Next on his agenda was a sexy car or a motorcycle…but that would have to wait until his funds built back up or he got a raise. The custom scythe he'd had designed was his first big investment, once he made it to junior officer status. The wardrobe naturally came next. Meanwhile, he slept on a couch with a hide-a-bed that he never bothered to pull out, and he ate off chipped plates and drank from plastic glasses. His tiny apartment was cluttered for certain, but he did wash dishes each night and clean house once per week.

"Right," he sighed after slipping his pricey suit on and getting his tie sorted out. He snatched his designer watch off the top of the dresser and put it on his wrist, before styling his hair and splashing on a little cologne. Five minutes. He had to be at the office in five bloody minutes, and it was all the way across town!

"Man, I am so in for it," he groaned as he raced for the door and grabbed his keys off the hook beside it. He'd never make it in time, even if he didn't need to rely on public transport.

He tried to sneak in without being seen by the boss, but William T. Spears was standing in the lobby, talking to one of the board members. Ronald winced and ducked behind a rubber tree plant, biting his lip.

"How the hell am I s'posed t' clock in with him standing right there?" he whined. It was bad enough that he couldn't be around the man on a regular day without his blush factor kicking in. When Spears went into lecture mode, it did funny, inappropriate things to him. Sometimes Ronald was tempted to screw up just to get some Spears discipline.

A hand settled on his shoulder and he yelped, turning around to find Eric standing there.

"You gave me a fright," accused Ronald.

"Ye'll get more than a 'fright' if tha boss catches ya comin' in late again, Knoxie," observed Eric. "Come on; I've already clocked ya in. Far as anyone's concerned you've been wi' me since tha work day started."

Ronald sighed in relief and went with him to the elevators. "Thanks, Eric. I really owe y' one."

The Scotsman chuckled and pressed the button for their floor. "Jus' be more careful, kid. I cannae always come tae yer rescue. I think ya ought tae invest in a better alarm clock."

Ronald scratched the back of his head, where the sunny blond hair turned to black at the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I thought of that too while I was runnin' around my place like a chicken with it's head cut off, this morning. I know I set the damned thing before bed last night, but it never went off!"

"Then maybe we should carpool 'till ya get a more reliable one," suggested Eric. "I'll drag your arse outta bed every morning, if I've go' tae."

"Heh…I'd appreciate it." Ronald leaned back against the wall of the elevator. "So what are y' doing this weekend? There's a new club opening up on Saturday. I know you're not on the market for dates, but I could stand t' add a few numbers to my book."

"Sorry Ronnie; Alan and I have plans already. Been a while since we've actually been on a real date t'gether, so I'm takin' him out fer dinner an' a movie."

"Oh." Ronald shrugged. He wished he had the courage to be as open with his preferences as the two of them were. Not that Shinigami typically judged same sex couples, but he'd spent a lot of his youth in the mortal realm, where such relationships were taboo.

~And even if I hopped out of th' closet, I'd still never have the balls t' ask out the person I really want.~

He'd had his secret trysts with other guys closer to his age, of course, but that's all they were…trysts. All the girls he dated thought he was just a gentleman, but the truth was he had no intention of sleeping with any of them and he just enjoyed their company.

"Ronnie, are ya still in there?" Eric waved a hand over the younger reaper's eyes, smirking at him. "Where do ya go in yer head, when ya start tha' daydreamin'?"

Ronald shrugged and stuck his hands into his pockets. "Just thinkin' of my next date, most of the time."

~Or fantasizing about a date I'll never get. Damn it.~

Eric sighed. "Ya need tae focus more when yer in tha office. Far as reapin' goes, yer one o' tha best in yer generation…but when ya keep starin' off in tae space in tha office, it doesnae leave a good impression tae yer seniors."

"Yeah, I know," sighed the boy. "I'll try t' pay more attention."

His actions belied his words a mere two hours later. Bored and waiting on his next reaping assignments, Ronald started playing with paperclips. He ended up fashioning a slingshot of one of them, rigging it with a rubber band. He was in Grell's office, waiting for the redhead to finish up in a meeting so that they could pick up a death list and get moving. With his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth, Ronald took aim at the door with the makeshift slingshot he'd fashioned.

"They never see me coming," he muttered cockily. "Death strikes with th' force of—"

The door opened just as he loosed the paperclip projectile he'd loaded into the slingshot, and to Ronald's eternal horror, William T. Spears got pegged right in the face with it.

"Oh, shit! S-Spears-senpai!" He straightened up in the desk chair, going white as a sheet as the Dispatch supervisor jerked and put a gloved hand to his stinging cheek. "I totally didn't mean t' get ya! Aw man…I'm soooo sorry!"

William raised an elegant brow at him. "I can see your paychecks are money well-spent. I am sure the board will be pleased to know that one of our most recently promoted young reapers spends his time in the office rigging paper-clip booby traps."

Ronald winced and dropped the slingshot he'd made. "I was just…uh…waiting on my mentor, sir. I've finished all th' paperwork I had this morning."

William carried a stack of documents over to the desk. "On the contrary, there is a bit more."

He dropped the stack onto the polished surface. "Clearly, we do not keep you busy enough, Mister Knox."

Ronald gulped. "Am I getting overtime?"

William glanced out the window. "That would depend on you, and the speed and efficiency in which you complete your additional paperwork. Perhaps you should get started on that now, rather than shooting office supplies across the room."

That piercing gaze met his again, causing Ronald's heart to thud so strongly he feared William might be able to hear it banging against his ribcage. For a long moment, William merely stared at him; and then he gave a cordial nod. "Good day, Mister Knox."

Ronald swallowed again. "Good day, sir."

He didn't breathe again until William had left the room. Even after getting reprimanded, he'd been unable to stop himself from admiring the boss's retreating backside. Spears had a very nice bum. Ronald groaned once he was alone in the office room again, and he face-planted on the new pile of paperwork.

"Well, that's a great way t' show the boss your worth…shoot him in the face with a paperclip."

At least he hadn't blurted out that he'd bend over for a spanking, if William wanted him to.

He got started on the paperwork, blushing at the direction of his own thoughts. Moments later, Grell came twirling in with the usual flair and a shark-like grin. "Good morning, darling," greeted the crimson reaper. He stopped and sighed, planting his hands on his hips. "Just what are you doing at my desk, Ronnie? I have told you time after time to do your paperwork at your own desk!" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the smaller desk in the corner of the room.

"Chair's broken," excused Ronald with a shrug, "and you weren't in here, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to sit at your desk 'till ya got here."

He obligingly scooped up the paperwork and got out of Grell's chair, carrying it all over to his desk. He sat down gingerly on the unstable chair, careful not to lean back and end up on the floor again like yesterday.

"They were supposed to replace that chair today," sighed Grell. He sat down at his desk and he picked up his phone to call maintenance. "Honestly, nothing ever gets done around here when it should. Yes, hello? This is Officer Sutcliff. I've a broken chair in my office that you were supposed to have replaced by today. Yes, that's correct. Well, good! You'd better, because I cannot afford to have a partner with a concussion!"

He hung up and smiled. "Well then, that should take care of that! Leave off the paperwork for now, Mustard Seed. We have souls to reap." He produced his book of death list names and waved it meaningfully at the blond.

"Gladly," agreed Ronald with a smirk. Reaping was more of an art than a job to him, and it was his favorite part of the work day. Pity he couldn't get away with doing nothing but reaping.

"Just look at this mess," exclaimed Grell, waving a hand un-necessarily at the gory splatters painting the walls and floors of the house interior. "My goodness, someone had themselves a good time."

Ronald grimaced as he approached the dead female, lying in a pool of her own drying blood. Her hair was so saturated with it that he couldn't tell what color it was. She was an attractive sort, with high cheekbones and blue eyes. "Looks like they took something from her," he observed as he squatted down to have a better look.

"Well, of course the killer would have no compunctions about stealing her coin purse." Grell waved a hand dismissively.

"No, I'm not talking about a coin purse or jewelry," explained Ronald. He looked up at his mentor. "I mean a body part. They cut something out o' her, Senpai."

"Hmm." Grell walked over to the body and looked down at it, adjusting his red-framed glasses. There was a gaping slice in her lower abdomen, where part of her dress had been cut away. "How very odd. The list didn't say anything about cannibalism."

Ronald shook his head and summoned his scythe. "Maybe they didn't cut it out t' eat it. I dunno enough about biology t' tell what bits they took. Her stomach?" He shrugged. Just as he was about to make the first cut to begin collecting her records, a huge cockroach came crawling out of the wound and he fell back with a startled curse.

"Aw, gross!"

Grell sighed. "Her innards have been scooped out, and you're troubled by a bug? Really, darling, you simply must grow a thicker skin. And it wasn't her stomach, Knoxie. I believe it was her womb that they stole."

Having turned a bit pasty, Ronald gulped and tried again. "Just startled me, is all. You weren't right here hovering over it!" He got to his feet and started up his mower. Her reels showed the final moments of her life, but the killer's shadowed form was too blurred to identify. As Grell watched, Ronald collected all of the reels and made a note in his own report book.

"I don't think a prostitute has anything special t' give humanity."

Grell smirked. "Not likely, no. I do find the manner of her death quite…interesting, though. I wonder why someone would take her womb?"

"Maybe she was pregnant," suggested Ronald, "and whoever offed her didn't want her havin' the baby."

"Mm, could be." Grell brushed it off. "Well, we have several more assignments to take care of today, and plenty of paperwork to handle as well. Let's move on, shall we?"

After collecting the records of eight more targets, the two of them returned to their realm to hand in their records. Grell was still going on about the murder victim they'd started out with, and Ronald was doing his best to try and forget the disgusting bug incident.

"Whomever the killer is, he must surely be depraved," Grell was saying as they walked back out of the library and began the trek back to Headquarters. "Can you imagine what sort of twisted mind it must take to steal a victim's organs? And such a personal organ, too!"

"Yeah, it's sick," agreed Ronald. "Can we stop talking about it now?"

"I just find it fascinating," Grell went on as if he hadn't spoken. "The depths that some mortals will sink! So much blood. You know, blood is really quite lovely. So very red."

Ronald stared at the older reaper. "You're starting t' freak me out a little, Senpai."

Grell shrugged. "We are gods of death, Ronnie. If we can't find some beauty in it, however will we manage to keep bringing it to them? Reapers go mad if they cannot separate their emotions from the job."

"Yeah, but ya don't have t' get turned on by it," protested the blond.

"Now you're just being silly," admonished Grell. "I'm not…oh, look! There's Will! Wiiilliam, darling!"

Grell called out to the handsome, raven-haired man and he hurried across the street to him. He seemed to be on his way to the library from headquarters.

Ronald nearly laughed at the trapped expression that flitted over Spears' face briefly, before he could contain it. The man looked around as if seeking somewhere to hide, before heaving a visible sigh of defeat. He held Sutcliff at arm's length as the redhead tried to embrace him. The blond waited for traffic to clear before jogging across the street to join them.

"Hi boss," he greeted William, giving him the "death" salute. "Nine mortals, tagged 'n bagged. Not bad, huh?"

"Sutcliff, do contain yourself," snapped William. He pushed Grell away and straightened up his suit. "And yes, nine collections is rather impressive in such a short time, Knox. It almost makes up for your poor office behavior."

Ronald bit his lip, his bluster stolen by the criticism. "I'll try t' do better, sir."

Those eyes pinned him again, sliding over him in a way that made Ronald want to squirm. He could practically feel the phantom touch of that stare. William's lips twitched in an expression that might have almost passed for a fleeting smile. "See to it that you do, Ronald Knox. Now if you'll both pardon me, I have records of my own to hand in."

"You went reaping?" Ronald's brows shot up with surprise. William rarely set foot outside his office, spending most of his time managing Dispatch and filing reports.

"We have been rather overbooked, of late," explained the brunet, "and despite the addition of new reapers into our ranks, there has been a rise in the death counts this month. It is sometimes necessary for me to lend my own scythe to managing collections."

He sighed and pushed his glasses further up with the tip of said scythe. "I would delight in having a day off, but it seems that will have to wait."

"You could still take a day off, Willy," suggested Grell, batting his eyelashes at him. "Perhaps a romantic evening out with a certain lady who adores you, hmm?"

An ugly feeling of jealousy twisted Ronald's stomach as William gazed at Grell as if almost considering it. Sutcliff was determined to eventually wear him down and win his affections, and given their history together, Ronald braced himself for that to happen eventually. Who was he to compete with a senior officer…one who had known William since his first days at the academy? Sure, he was charming and good looking, but he was so far beneath Spears that he might as well be an ant.

"I'm afraid I have neither the time nor the inclination for a 'romantic evening out'," William finally informed the amorous redhead, "least of all not with a 'lady' who cannot take 'no' for an answer."

Grell pouted. "You are so cold, my darling."

"I'm not your 'darling'," reminded William, "and if you detain me a single moment longer, I shall bury you in so much paperwork you will never again see the light of day. Now, I must be going."

He glanced at Ronald once more, before excusing himself from their presence for the final time. Grell stared after him with a sigh, his heart in his eyes. "Why must he deny our love?"

"Maybe 'cause he doesn't feel it like you do," suggested Ronald—more brutally than intended.

Grell gave him a shocked and offended look. "Why, you little…I'll have you know that Will is only in denial! He resists because he fears losing his heart to my beauty!"

Ronald sighed, rolling his eyes. "Face it, Miss Sutcliff; he's got no sex drive. I've never seen him go on a date…have you?"

"Well, no," admitted Grell, "but that's simply because he's saving himself for me. He just doesn't know it, yet."

"Whatever." He was tired of arguing with Grell's delusions. "Let's just get back t' the office, so we can finish up our paperwork and clock out on time."

He was getting a headache…again. In addition to the added burden of deaths on the list, Sutcliff continued to throw himself at him at every turn. Knox was in the habit of slacking whenever possible. It seemed the only reliable agents he had were Slingby and his partner Humphries, and they couldn't be expected to take up all the slack themselves. William returned to his office after turning in his collections at the library, and he went into the small, adjoining bathroom to procure some aspirin.

After popping a couple into his mouth and rinsing it down with a glass of tap water, he walked over to his desk. It was getting late, and the sun was beginning to set. He still had filing to do. Other reapers were beginning to leave for the evening, returning home to their loved ones for dinner, or going out on the town for some personal enjoyment.

Personal enjoyment. He honestly could not recall the last time he'd indulged in such, himself. He heard Ronald Knox's voice in the hallway outside his office, and his mind conjured up an image of the young reaper. He imagined his easy-going smile, and the way his cheeks dimpled with the expression. He thought of his voice and that oddly endearing dialect of English he used, with his odd slang and shortened words. There was something about him that got to William, and he had just begun to realize that his thoughts concerning Knox weren't entirely professional.

"This is the last thing I need," he sighed, opening up a folder to look over the reports. Of course, the first folder he opened belonged to the very agent he found so often on his mind. The photo within the file folder showed Knox grinning and making the "death" salute with both hands. He was cheeky, a bit cocky and irrepressible—exactly the opposite of William. He was also a bit too attractive for his own good. Will couldn't think of a single other reaper that could make such chunky glasses look good. They were practically goggles, but Knox made them work, somehow.

He stared at the photo for several moments, until there was a knock at his door that shook him out of his daze. "Enter."

As if summoned by his own troubled thoughts, Ronald Knox poked his head in. William hastily shut the file folder and rested his hands on top of it, threading the fingers together. "What is it, Mister Knox?"

"Uh, I was just droppin' by t' see if ya need anything before I clock out, boss. I figure I owe ya that much, since I accidentally pegged ya with the paperclip t'day."

"The word is 'today'," corrected William—even though he'd come to think of Ronald's way of speaking strangely attractive, "and no, thank you. I'm afraid I shall be here for some time."

Ronald stepped into the office almost shyly, and he lowered his gaze. "I could…ya know…help with some of it. Instead of staying here all night workin' on it, you could drop some of it off at my desk and I can do it t'morrow."

William's brow slowly rose. "Are you actually volunteering to do additional paperwork, Mister Knox?" He smirked slightly in spite of himself. "You, who has difficulty staying awake while doing such 'boring' work?"

Ronald shrugged and smiled sheepishly at him, sticking his hands into his pockets. "Well, yeah. I still feel bad about the paperclip thing, and I know ya've been real busy. I don't mind takin' on a little more if it'll give ya a little more free time, sir."

Will didn't quite know how to respond to that. He'd had agents suck up to him before, offering to take on additional work for the soul purpose of getting on his good side in the hopes of a promotion. None of them had ever made such an offer for altruistic reasons, however. Ronald seemed genuinely interested in lightening the burden on him, and that was a strange thing, indeed.

"That is very…considerate of you," said William carefully, still surprised. "I may take you up on that offer, Knox. For now, go ahead and clock out, and enjoy the rest of your evening."

Ronald nodded. "Okay. G'night, sir."

William smirked in bemusement as the young man left his office. Knox was blushing. How interesting. In fact, the boy seemed to blush quite a lot around him. William found that peculiar, considering how easily Ronald flirted with the ladies downstairs. Was he really so intimidating to him, or could it be something else?

Shaking his head to banish such speculation, William returned his attention to the files and he sorted out which ones he would work on tonight, and which ones he would leave on Knox's desk for processing in the morning.

"What the hell's wrong with me," groaned Ronald to himself as he got into the elevator. "Paperwork? Really?"

He'd initially gone to William's office to ask if he'd be interested in going out for a bit with him, Eric and Alan. The three of them decided they'd hit the pub after work for a drink, and they thought it would be nice to extend and invitation to the boss, seeing as he'd just been saying earlier that day that he never got any time off. He chickened out, though, and the only thing he could think of as an excuse for dropping in was to offer to help with the paperwork.

"Well, at least he seemed kinda grateful," he sighed. Or else he was just humoring him. He hoped he wasn't getting in over his head by offering to take on some of Spears' workload. "I'll just have t' be extra careful when I'm doing it, and not screw up."

It would be just his luck to make a mistake or do a sloppy job and make his boss clean up behind him. The point was to lessen William's work load, not add to it.

His cell phone began to ring, and he dug it out of his pocket to answer it. "Knox, here. Oh, hey Alan-senpai. I'm on my way down t' the lobby now. No, I didn't. I was gonna, but he looked really busy and I didn't think he'd go for it. Uh-huh. Well, I ended up volunteering t' do some of his paperwork, instead. Yeah, I know…I think I can handle it, though. It's boring stuff, but it's not all that complicated. Okay, meet ya in the parking garage, then."

He hung up and waited for the elevator to touch down, and then he went to the parking garage to join Eric and Alan.

"What're ya grinning 'bout?" Eric questioned his lover when Alan hung up the phone.

"Ronald," answered the brunet. "The poor thing lost his nerve."

"Hmph…guess I owe ya some money, then."

Alan chuckled. They'd made a bet on whether Ron would go through with his plan to invite the boss out with them. Eric didn't believe him when Alan predicted the outcome, because he couldn't imagine Ronald being too shy to ask anyone out—platonically or otherwise.

"I'll let you pay me some other way," Alan said when Eric started to dig out his wallet. "Keep the money."

Eric waggled his eyebrows at him. "Wha' sort o' payment did yeh have in mind?"

"You'll just have to find that out when we get home, won't you?" Grinning up at him, Alan put his arms around his waist and he kissed his throat. "Let's just say it isn't for young eyes to see."

"Yeah, I don't want my young eyes t' see, either," called Ronald's voice. He approached with a grin as the couple released each other. "So what does he owe y' money for anyhow, Alan-senpai?"

"Just a small wager," answered the small brunet smoothly. "Ready to go?"

Ron nodded. "More than. Let's get outta here and do some drinking!"

"Now, I don't want you two getting smashed, this time," warned Alan. "I can't carry you both to the car and I don't want the embarrassment of getting the bouncer to help me with you again."

"I can't get smashed anyway," Ronald pointed out with a shrug as he opened one of the back doors on Alan's blue sedan and ducked in. "I've got a lot of extra paperwork t' do tomorrow, and that's gonna be painful enough without a hangover."

Eric and Alan got in and buckled up. "So how'd it go from asking tha boss tae come out wi' us tae yeh takin' on some of his paperwork, anyhow?" questioned the Scotsman. "Doesn't sound like ya, Ronnie."

"I dunno what happened," sighed the younger blond. "I was all ready t' say: 'hey boss, we're going out for drinks and we thought ya might want t' come with.' But then I saw all that paperwork on his desk and…I guess I just figured he'd never go for it, so then I had to come up with some other reason for stopping by."

"I swear tha man's gonna snap one day," predicted Eric, "an' he'll either scythe himself or Sutcliff when it happens."

"Eric, don't say things like that," chastised Alan as he pulled out of the parking garage and into traffic. "He's our boss."

"Aye, an' he's abou' as uptight as they come," insisted Eric. "It's no' good fer anyone tae spend tha' much time cooped up in tha office. Tha's why I suggested Ronnie go invite him. Even if it's only fer a little drink wi' us now an' then, he ought tae try and get out."

"He has a lot more responsibilities than we do." Alan stopped at a red light, and he reached over to rub Eric's knee. "Maybe some other time."

In the back seat, Ronald sighed. Eric heard the sound, and he turned around in his seat to look back at him. "Wha's tha long face about, kid? Startin' tae regret offering tae do all that paperwork?"

"Yeah," agreed Ronald. "I guess I screwed myself pretty good with that."

"It was a nice gesture," said Eric with a shrug. "Cheer up. Maybe tha' cute waitress ya like will be there tonight."

Beside him, Alan cat a sidelong look at the Scotsman. They'd been playing along with Ronald's flirtations for two years now, leaving it up to him to decide when and if he ever came out of the closet. Eric, however, seemed just as oblivious as Grell to the way the boy behaved around Spears. Alan still hadn't said anything, allowing them to believe Ronald's awkward reactions around William were simply due to intimidation. It was probably better for Ronald that Grell remain ignorant, and Alan really wasn't sure how Eric would feel about his son crushing on the boss. The Scotsman might decide to get protective of him and then he'd have a fine time trying to explain why he took such a personal interest in who Ronald fantasized about.

Alan sighed. Sometimes he thought it would just be easier if Eric would just confess to Ronald that he was his father. He'd sneakily confirmed it for his own piece of mind last year, when Ronald went in for a standard physical. He'd given samples of his own DNA on the same day, so that the doctor could secretly perform a paternity test—a thing which might not have happened, had Eric not been friends with the man. Ronnie was definitely his son. Now the question was whether or not Eric would ever tell the young man or not.

"Now what are ya sighing 'bout?" questioned Eric. "Am I tha only one in a good mood t'night?"

Alan smirked. "It's nothing. I'm just glad the work day is over with."

They pulled up to the pub, and Eric got out to put money in the meter while Alan and Ronald went inside to get their table. "I'm sure there will be other chances to get Mr. Spears out of his office," offered the brunet to Knox as they sat down.

Ronald shrugged. "Maybe."

~Or maybe I should just give up this pipe dream of him ever being more than my boss. It would have been a good excuse to invite him out without makin' it seem like a date, though. I'm such a chickenshit.~

Alan studied him from behind the menu. "Ronald, you know if there's ever anything you need to get off your chest, you can come to us."

The blond flushed a little. Sometimes he thought Alan saw right through him. "Yeah, I know." He winked at the waitress as she came to get their drink orders, just as Eric came inside to join them. "Hey, beautiful. I'll have a lavender martini, the big bloke'll have an old fashioned, and our friend'll have a glass of shiraz."

It had become such a common ritual to end the work day with drinks that each of them knew just what to order for each other. Ronald felt a bit more confident as the pretty blond waitress blushed in response to his flirting, and he could pretend for a moment that he wasn't so helplessly enamored with a man he'd probably never have.

"Make mine half a glass," requested Alan. "I have to drive."

"Absolutely," she said with a smile, and then she was off to fetch their drinks.

Ronald relaxed in his booth seat and he looked at the big television monitor, which was displaying a game of cricket. His nose crinkled. "What a boring sport. I'll be glad when the season's over with. I'd rather be watching rugby."

"Same here," agreed Eric. "So who's yer latest victim gonna be, Ronnie?"

"Huh?"

"He means date," clarified Alan. "Are you taking anyone out this weekend? I'm sorry we aren't available."

"Oh, right." He shrugged. "That's okay. You've got the right t' have a couple's night out once in a while. Er, I haven't really thought much on it. Guess I'd better start going through my phone book before all the girls are taken for the weekend."

Eric snorted. "I've seen ya in action, kid. Even if they've already go' a date, most girls would blow it off tae go out wi' ya."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna get a date by stealing from some other bloke." Ronald shrugged, knowing full well that Eric was right. It was too bad he couldn't apply his confidence with the ladies to his interactions with a certain handsome Dispatch supervisor. "Maybe I'll just go out on my own and get some new numbers, or even have a night out on th' mortal side. I've seen a few cute birds in London."

"Jus' be careful wi' tha'," advised Eric seriously. "Datin' mortals comes wi' some baggage—especially if ya get attached to 'em."

Ronald waved it off. "Don't worry about that. If I take a human chippie out, it's just for fun. I don't even get attached t' the Shinigami girls I date."

"But they get attached to you," reasoned Alan with a little smile. "Hence why Eric calls them 'victims'."

"Hey, he's got no room to talk!" Ronald smirked at Eric. "I've heard stories about Slingby's conquests, back in th' day. Every guy wanted t' be him and every girl wanted t' be with him."

"Tha's no' entirely true," chuckled Eric. "Some o' tha guys wanted tae be wi' me, too." He winced as Alan poked him. "But now there's only one tha' matters tae me," he amended.

"Good save," approved Alan.

Their drinks came, and Ronald's phone started to go off. He sighed and pulled it out of his pocket to check it. "Oh, it's my mum texting me."

He didn't notice the way Eric tensed as he read over the text. "Oops…I forgot I'm s'posed t' go over for dinner Sunday. Good thing I didn't make any plans for that day, yet."

He started texting her back, and he raised a brow at Eric when the Scotsman leaned over to look. "Gettin' kinda nosey there, Eric-senpai."

"I'm jus' lookin' at yer case. It's a new one, aye?"

Ronald nodded absently. "Uh-huh."

"Hi Mum. Just having drinks with some mates. See u Sunday. Love u!"

Eric sat back with a sigh and took a hefty swallow of his drink, grimacing at the burn. "Does she ever ask 'bout yer work, Ronnie? Ever tell her 'bout any of us?"

The blond shrugged and put his phone away. "Sometimes. I don't give her many details, really. I mean, she's a reaper, but she's never worked with Dispatch. Somehow it doesn't seem right t' tell her some of the gory details o' what we get up to, y' know?"

Alan nodded. "Civilians live sheltered lives, compared to Dispatch agents. Even some of the other departments in our building can hardly believe the tales they hear from us, at times."

"Right." Ronald sipped his drink, and he shook his head. "And I don't want her t' worry about me. She knows it can be dangerous, but she doesn't need t' know how dangerous and lose sleep over it…so I only tell her the entertaining bits and leave the scary stuff out."

Eric looked into his glass as if seeking answers to some riddle. "Yer protective of her. Tha's good."

"You bet! Anyone messes with my Mum and they'll get a face full of lawnmower."

Beneath the table unseen, Alan patted Eric's knee. "Well, I think that's how any good son would feel about his mother. Most of us don't have parents to know what it's like first-hand, but it seems perfectly logical to me."

Later that night after they dropped Ronald off and went home, Eric was pensive and rather withdrawn. Alan thought of the last time he'd seen him like this, after his old partner got killed by a demon. He didn't really need to ask him what was on his mind, but he did so anyway as he cuddled up to him in the bed.

"What are you thinking of?"

Eric sighed and put an arm around him. "Wha' am I doin', Alan? I'm tryin' tae be his friend 'cause I dunno how tae be his father, but sooner or later, he's bound tae find out, isn't he? If he mentions mah name tae his mother an' tells her he works wi' me, she might spill tha beans."

"But she knew you when you were still with the Edinburgh division," Alan pointed out. "She might just assume it's a different Eric Slingby…or even if she doesn't, she might not say anything at all. Ronald is twenty now, and she still hasn't told him."

"She might change her mind 'bout tha' if she finds out I work wi' him." Eric stroked the brunet's hair and stared up at the ceiling. "Beatrice didnae strike me as a daft woman. I imagine she'll start diggin' tae find out if I'm tha same Eric she slept with years ago, and once she's go' confirmation, she might decide it's best tae come clean wi' him, before I can."

Alan bit his lip. "Well, have you ever thought to try and contact her? Speak with her about it? If she knows that you're aware of it, maybe the two of you can come to an agreement on how to handle it."

"I was actually thinkin' along those lines," confessed Eric. He reached for his phone and opened up his contacts list to show Alan. "I wasnae reading Ronald's text exchange wi' her in the pub, when I leaned o'er tae look at his screen. I was getting her number."

Alan wasn't really surprised. Eric could be quite sneaky, when it suited his needs. "So will you call her tomorrow?"

"I…dun' know yet," sighed the blond. "I've gotta think 'bout it…decide wha' tha hell I'm even gonna say if I get tha balls tae ring her up at all."

Alan kissed his bare chest, running his palm over his torso lovingly. "Just tell her the truth. It may be the best way to resolve this, love."

Deciding he needed a distraction if he was going to get any rest tonight, Alan let his hand slide lower, beneath the covers. Eric always slept in the nude these days, so he had no other barriers in the way of his goal. He smiled softly as Eric's breath caught a little, and he kissed his neck.

"For now, just put the phone away. You still owe me for that bet, remember?"

Eric obligingly set the phone down on the nightstand, and he smirked. "Time tae pay up, eh?"

Without any further mention of his dilemma, the Scotsman rolled over and pinned his partner beneath him, kissing him deeply.

-To be continued