The Grey Butler.

I Love You

Warning; very graphic sexual acts and smut. Ambiguous BDSM (not my intention but can be read that way).

Cedric sulked for days after the wedding, not opening his shop, not turning up at the Phantomhive manner for his duties as a butler. Vincent hadn't even come by the shop, and Cedric knew why. He was happy. Vincent was actually happy with that woman, he couldn't blame him. Rachel was rich, Rachel was noble, polite. Rachel was female. Rachel could give him an heir. Cedric couldn't give him any of those things. He couldn't make Vincent happy. The old reaper looked around, putting his top hat on his head, jaunty as it fell to one side over his eyes. It was probably time to open the shop. He probably had lost a lot of clientele - and not just mourners - since he had went on a temporary hiatus. He opened the door, pulling off the 'gone on holiday' sign he had stuck to it, plastering on his best fake smile as he had seen Vincent do many times and waited for a customer. He wanted the floor to swallow him when he noticed just who his first customer was.

"Can we just talk?" Vincent asked. He seemed sorrowful for possibly the first time in his life, staring at the floor. Cedric huffed, turning away and walked further into his shop.

"I have nothing to say to you," Cedric pouted.

"I told her,"

Cedric stopped in his tracks, freezing mid-step. Maybe Cedric had something to say to Vincent after all. "You what?"

"I told her. I risked my family's reputation, my company, my wife, hell even my life just to be more open with you," Vincent reasoned. "Can't you see that I really do love you Cedric?"

"What did she say?" Cedric asked, gulping in fear and ignoring Vincent's question. "Have you come to warn me of the guards? I can take us away from here, if you so desire. I can make sure Death never takes you Vincent my dear,"

"Shut up," Vincent snapped. "She accepted it. Reluctantly, she accepted it. Only on the condition that you come back to the manor and be our butler. Apparently you were very efficient,"

"I am in more ways than one," Cedric muttered under his breath, before raising his head, the corners of his mouth shuddering as he fought to stifle a smile. "Then I will come back on one condition,"

"Oh?" Vincent raised an eyebrow questioningly, no longer having the desire to pretend that he was Cedric's master. Cedric wondered if he should keep the butler uniform on the next time they had sex.

"We get to use your bed," Cedric bargained.

"Deal," Vincent decided almost immediately. "I do love you, you know that,"

"You don't love me," Cedric smirked. "You just find me exciting. Something to brag about to yourself, prove you are some divine creature and that you control everything. You are fucking the embodiment of Death and you love it. Don't pretend like I am anything else to you,"

"But you love me," Vincent smirked. "You are weak enough to love,"

"You're forgetting just what I could do to you if I desired,"

"But your love for me clouds that ability. You will never harm me because you love me,"

"Maybe you're right," Cedric relented. Still grinning widely. "But I've lost many lovers before. Hundreds before, some of which were to my own hand. The fact that you are my favourite won't stop me from getting rid of you one way or another. I could turn you into a doll," Cedric stalked over, holding Vincent's chin gently, making the smaller man look up at him. "You'd be so pretty as a doll,"

Vincent shook out of the grasp. "Come on. Let's get back to the manor house. You can ride in the carriage with me,"

Cedric smirked, following the smaller man gleefully out the door and into the carriage, smirking at Tanaka, who simply nodded to him. The ride was plain and simple. Vincent and Cedric laughed together like an ordinary couple - or as ordinary as a gay, insane couple of murderers could ever be - Cedric explaining the Vincent what dinosaurs were and Vincent not believing him. Something that big would have been discovered by now, right? When they got to the manor house, Cedric gulped, his nerves prickling as he saw Rachel waiting there, her hands held closely to her chest, and unreadable expression in her eyes. Cedric approached her sheepishly, the betrayer, the ruiner of families, he knew that he was. He stood in front of her, his gaze downcast and his eyes studying the patterns of dirt on the floor. He let out a squeal of surprise as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his shoulders, her mouth speaking against his hot skin.