An Act of Death [William T. Spears x Reader]

03 Valentine

_____ collapsed onto her bed, exhausted.

She had spent her entire shift that day processing paperwork without so much as a lunch break, her hands throbbing from the endless stapling and stamping and signing. After clocking out, she headed straight to the shopping district on a mission: the next morning was Valentine’s Day. She’d overheard the women from General Affairs gushing about the gift’s they’d gotten for their co-workers, and while she didn’t understand the full extent of this holiday, she knew she wanted to give something special to her coworkers. After all, when was she going to get another opportunity like this? And so, after panning through everything from elaborate gift baskets to stuffed animals to bouquets, her eyes fell on the perfect gift. It was simple, it was small, and it looked delicious. In addition, something edible seemed to be the safest choice to her.

After all, she didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.

 

The Next Day

When she walked past a certain coworker’s office, she had to double-take. “Um… Ronald? Are you alright?”

All she could see of him was a tuft of blonde hair. His desk was covered with envelopes, flowers, and stuffed bears, to the point that there was a mass of pink and red piled on the workspace. When she walked over to the other side, she saw that he had face-planted into the report he was working on, with the most utterly defeated look she'd ever seen. "Too... much..."

Under different circumstances, she might've been more sympathetic. However, seeing him become a victim of his own antics in such a way was comical. She snickered. "That’s your own fault for being so ‘popular.’ I got you something, too."

"Hn?" He inclined his head. His face was blotted with ink from where he’d been resting his head. She reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out one of the small boxes, tossing it to him. He caught it effortlessly, lifting the top. His eyes widened, his mouth agape. “This is…”

“HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!” screeched two deafening voices in unison. ______ turned to see two interns from Personnel bursting into the office in a fit of giggles, each with a different assortment of flowers.

The one that came in first rushed to him, cutting right between him and where ______ was standing. “Ronnie, you’ve got some ink on your face! Let me get it for you!”

The other was pouting. “S-sis…! Don’t hog Mr. Knox!”

______ circumvented the two and stepped out, knowing it was about time for her to get back to her work. Checking the clock on the wall of the lobby, she quickened her pace. She’d have to wait until her lunch break to give William his gift. However, as she rounded the corner she collided into something. Hard. As she lurched forward, all she saw was a blur of red.

She scrambled to gather her things that were scattered all over the floor. Seeing the heels of the person she ran into, “I’m sorry, Miss!”

“Huh? Miss?” said the person above her. The voice not seeming to match, ______ looked up and was stunned.

He was unlike any other person she’d seen in her entire life. He was feminine. He was flamboyant. He was... "Shit! I'm sorry for calling you that! You're just really a pretty guy so I thought--"

"Pretty?" The man repeated. There was a prolonged silence. She braced herself, expecting him to explode, and he did. Only not in the way she was expecting. "Oh yes~! Everyone’s idol, the femme fatale of this Valentine's Day, Grell Sutcliffe! DEATH!"

He struck a pose, tongue poking out through serrated teeth. He reached down, picking up one of the two remaining gifts that had rolled out of her bag.