"Oh Bassy! It's been far too long since we last saw each other!"
Sebastian whipped his head in dread toward the sound of a voice he wished would just leave him alone. Standing by one of the tables was Grell, and he chose to neglect the fact that there were two other Reapers accompanying her.
"What brings you to a place like this so late? I do suppose even demons need a break," Grell exclaimed as she threw herself all over the demon as her attempt at distracting him but also taking it as her chance to get close to the charming man.
"Grell Sutcliffe. It's no surprise I find you at a place as tasteless as a pub," Sebastian said coldly, Grell giving him a sly look as her long red nails slowly crept up his chest.
"You say that, yet you'd find that you yourself are also standing in a pub, my dear boy," she pointed out, the man scoffing as he grabbed her by the arms.
"I am on my own business, not to get disgustingly drunk, but to-" Sebastian cut himself off when the waft of a familiar scent filled the air.
It was his daughter. He could smell her, and close.
Upon further investigation, he found that Grell smelled very much like (Y/n). When he leaned in so close to her, with his nose pressed to her neck, she felt her face flush bright red as Sebastian's eyes glowed crimson and he pulled away with an angered expression.
"...you know something I don't," he murmured angrily, the red-headed reaper growing nervous and flustered as she pulled her arms away from him.
"W-whatever could you mean, Bassy dear?" She asked, playing dumb so she could try and cover her lie up.
But Sebastian wasn't having it. So with one swift movement, he had her pinned against the wall with his hand grasping her throat tightly, to which Artemis stood up abruptly.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing there buddy??" She asked in an aggressive tone as she stomped over to them and grabbed Sebastian's arm.
"Keep your nose out of this," he growled as he pushed the woman away, still quite fixated on Grell, "where is she?"
"...I-I...don't know what you're talking about..." Grell choked out as she clawed at Sebastian's hand, though he wasn't budging in terms of his grip.
"You think I'm a fool??" Sebastian asked, his anger growing as well as the tightness of his grip on Grell's neck, "I can smell her plain as day on you...what have you done with her??"
As Sebastian's grip tightened more and more, Grell could only speak less and less, and that was when Sebastian figured that he'd get nothing from her. So, with a huff, he threw her aside, and that was when a fist came to his cheek hard, and sent him stumbling sideways. The hit was enough to draw blood from the inside of his cheek, and when he looked up, he saw that it was Artemis who had hit him, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her stance intimidating.
"I asked a question, and I expect you to answer it demon," Artemis growled, only to have Juliet come up behind her with her hands against her arms.
"...Artemis, please-"
"Get back Julie!" Artemis cut her off in a stern tone, though Juliet wasn't backing down too easily.
"I'm not letting you get into another bar fight," Juliet insisted, wrapping her arms around Arty's waist, "especially not with a demon. You're going to get hurt."
"I'm not just gonna let him get away with hurting Miss Sutcliffe like that! Have you no sense of justice??" Artemis snapped as she pushed Juliet away, taking a fighting stance once more.
She went in for another swing, but Sebastian was quick to dodge it and punch her in the gut. At first she was slightly winded, but not a moment later was she back into action with another few swings, one of which managed to hit Sebastian in the face again. At first she was just angry about the way he was treating Grell, but then she realized that this was a really good distraction for Sebastian, and decided to keep the game up for as long as she could.
~
"Alright, we need to get out of here," (Y/n) whispered as she made out Ronald's features in the dark as best she could, "do you think you could fit through that window?"
"If I were as tiny as you, but I'm afraid that's not the case," Ronald whispered back, leaning down a little so he could better communicate with her.
"This is bad. If father finds me, he'll kill both of us, though I'm more concerned about your side of the matter," (Y/n) explained, poking Ronald's chest gently, "because not only are you a boy, but also a grim reaper. And if he doesn't like Grell, then he automatically doesn't like you."
"Well there goes a good first impression on your dad," Ronald joked with a breathy laugh, "what do you suppose we do about this bird?"
(Y/n) pinched her chin and looked into the darkness thoughtfully. There was no way they were getting out of this closet besides the door, and in terms of distracting Sebastian, this was going to be difficult. But she could only come to one conclusion, and it was going to be close.
"Ronald, I need you to listen to me very, very carefully..."
~
Neither Artemis nor Sebastian were looking very good at that point. They had gotten at least a dozen decent punches at each other, though neither were backing down. At that point, they had an audience, not only of the bar manager trying to get them to take it outside, but also other drunk bastards who were enjoying the show.
"Artemis! You idiot!" Juliet shouted over the drunken cheering that surrounded them, Grell standing beside her biting her bottom lip and cringing every time one of them took a good hit.
"Surely they can't go on for much longer," Grell exclaimed, resting her chin upon her dainty knuckles, "perhaps Bassy has finally found his match."
Suddenly, all the candles that'd been lit in the pub flickered out. Everyone was momentarily startled, but in that moment Sebastian could sense something familiar.
It was his daughter.
A figure came shooting through the dark, and in one swift movement, Sebastian went and pinned her to the wall.
When he summoned the light of the candles to reappear, he thought he'd been successful in catching her. Though what he found pinned between his fingers and the wall was a torn piece of fabric. That of which, he recognised it's scent. And of course, it was her.
In all of his anger, he couldn't control the way his eyes burned crimson, turning to face the small group of reapers before spinning back around and storming out of the pub.
~
From there, they just ran. Because they knew that that was what it was gonna take if they wanted to escape Sebastian's wrath and paternal instinct.
"We need to get as far away from here as possible!" (Y/n) shouted as best she could over all the force of the wind that pushed against them as they ran at inhuman speed, hand in one another's so they wouldn't be separated.
"Here! I know a place!" Ronald shouted back, (Y/n) falling back a little as she allowed him to take the lead.
He lead her around the town, as to not draw attention to them. Though where he was taking her, that was the entire point. At the end of town was a small inn that looked as though it got no business, and that was Ronald's goal. As soon as they were in, the world around them changed. Ronald slowed to a steady walking pace and let go of (Y/n)'s hand.
"Stay behind me and hold onto my body. Keep close and quiet and keep your head down. I'll get us through here," he explained quickly in a whisper.
She didn't ask any questions, she just did as she was told. From Ronald's instructions, she figured she was in Reaper territory. Around her she heard footsteps and chatter, though that chatter was foggy and muted to her senses for whatever reason as she began to feel weaker than she usually would. Never in all of her years had she been in this territory, and it took all of her strength to remain on her feet. When she felt as though her knees were about to buckle and her legs were going to give way, the world around her changed again, and she felt all of her senses return to her though at the cost of her collapsing and breathing heavily.
"Woah, you alright there my dear?" Ronald asked, kneeling down in front of you and holding your trembling body, "I'm so sorry about that."
"I-I'm quite alright," she reassured him in a weak voice, regaining her composure once more, "just a little nauseated."
"Yeah, that's just the effects the reaper realm has on demons. It's a deliberate deterrent for your kind and I do apologise for that," he explained, brushing her over with his hands, "but in here, you're safe."
Carefully, Ronald helped the lady up, and once she could stand on her own, he turned slightly.
"These are my quarters - they're quite simple."
When (Y/n) was finally able to take in her surroundings, she found herself within the walls of what looked like a typical middle class suburban home. It was quite basic, but still nice for what it was. She would've expected a man like him to live a little messier, though obviously that wasn't the case. It was clear his place was likely frequented by women he took home, but she didn't let that factor bother her in that moment.
"I think they're lovely," she complimented, brushing herself off as she regained her composure and took a few steps into his home to admire it, "it's something I'd like - but maybe out in the woods, just me and my cottage, away from this world."
"I could belong there too," Ronald murmured, looked down and scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, "if you wouldn't mind the company, that is."
(Y/n)'s head spun to face him at these sudden words, staring at him a moment with not a word on her tongue. In the shadows, his eyes always glowed ever so slightly - she would never be able to get over such beauty. She couldn't ignore the feeling she got in her chest whenever their eyes met, like a sweet jabbing sensation that was addicting. (Y/n) had never in her life felt any sort of romantic interest toward anyone - until then, that was - and for a demon as young as her, she was too stupid not to be fascinated by the sensations she got by interacting with this very attractive man.
With a sweet, toothy smile and flushed cheeks, she looked down.
"I think I'd like that," she said just above a whisper, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "one day."
Ronald was smitten. He absolutely adored her smile and her open mindedness and ease to not judge people so quickly like both their species usually did regarding one another. Before then, he hated demons, simply because if they had interfered with his work then they'd cause much too much paper work on his end. But he didn't even realise she was a demon until Grell had said something the first time he had ever laid eyes on her. He wanted to know her, know about her, see more than what met the eye, what was inside her. She was simply unlike anyone he had ever met.
"Well, I better get you settled in then, bird," Ronald huffed, breaking the silence, stepping closer to the woman as barely a foot stood between them.
"Oh, are you suggesting I stay the night?" (Y/n) asked, "I wouldn't want to impose-"
"You could never, (N/n)," he insisted, shaking his head with a charming smile adorning his lips, "and besides, I take it from this evenings events, you're not gonna be too safe out there."
"It's not myself I'm so worried about," she divulged, sighing as she closed her eyes momentarily, "I'm more concerned that he'll discover you - as much as he irritates me I don't want you two killing each other."
"Just stay here the night, doll," he persisted in a gentle manner, his hand coming to gently rest on her arm as he tilted his head ever so slightly, "think about what you're gonna say to him, then return home in the morning."
He squeezed her arm gently, and to that she simply couldn't say no.
"...alright."
-
Morning came, and Ronald saw you off to the outside of his realm, telling the woman that if she left earlier she wouldn't be found out by his colleagues and they could return to their lives safely without any trouble from his side at least.
Outside of the Inn, (Y/n) took a deep, icy breath as she began her way home. It would be about two hours of walking, though she didn't mind as she was very afraid of facing her father. He'd likely never let her leave the manor ever again. She knew what she wanted to tell him though, so she practiced her argument all the way to the Phantomhive manor, anxious for the confrontation that was inevitably going to happen.
In the gardens she entered, and at the back door was no other than Sebastian. His arms were crossed, and she could feel his demeanour from across the flora, swallowing hard as she trudged across the dewy field and towards the man. Intimidatingly, he was stood at the top of the steps, and she didn't dare meet his level, nor his eyes for that matter as she stood their patiently.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his tone formal yet harsh.
"I was out," she answered simply, refusing to look into his eyes, "needed to breathe."
"When you abbreviate and shorten your sentences like that, I know you are lying, (Y/n)," Sebastian observed, "tell me where you were."
"I'm not lying father," she insisted, her arms stiff at her sides, "I was indeed, out."
"Even after I told you that you were not to leave the manor last night?"
She stood there in the deafening silence - no amount of white noise around her could be of comfort as all she could feel was the anger and disappointment in his dark aura. All she could feel was him, and to her that was absolutely terrifying.
"First you deceive me," he began, stomping down the stairs and grabbing her wrist roughly, "and then you lie to me? You smell like death! Who have you been consorting with?!"
"It's none of your business!" she snapped as she tried to yank her wrist free of his grip, though unsuccessful as he was considerably stronger than her.
"As your father and the caretaker of this home it is my business!" he fumed, tugging her back toward him as he grabbed hold of her other wrist, "I will not have your disobedience any longer child!"
"Can't you see that you're suffocating me father?!" (Y/n) cried out in frustration, Sebastian falling silent when he saw the tears welling in his daughter's eyes, "all these stupid rules and stupid consequences, when I am an adult woman! I've not even privacy anymore! It is no business of yours who I associate with unless they come to affect you directly, which I have gone to the effort of avoiding for your sake!"
By this point, (Y/n) was choking on her own tears, though a sorrowful sight she was still oh so beautiful to Sebastian. He saw more and more of her mother in her features every single day, and it was of great solace to him to see that woman live again through their gorgeous daughter. As of late he had been getting rather over protective of her, for reasons he couldn't quite name himself. She was becoming more independent, going out more often than she used to - she was less afraid of the world. He knew there would be a time where he'd have to let go, as much as it pained him to. But she deserved to be her own entity, and only then was he realising that.
With a soft sigh, Sebastian gently let go of her wrists and drew her in for a loving hug. At first, she was surprised, stiffening up at the contact. But after a moment, she broke back into sobs, and melted into the man. He held her until she was calm, to which he pulled her back so he could see her face.
"Dry your eyes, my love. Let's go back inside."