Chapter Text
“Yes, yes, I understand,” Cedric waved his hand in the air as he sighed dramatically. “Missing souls a plenty, that’s why I’m here. You had both Othello and Ronald check my apartment seven times, surely you’d move your suspicions elsewhere by now!”
“I am sorry, but we can’t afford to take risks, especially with a known criminal on probation,” William T. Spears explained as he pushed his glasses up with one hand, file in the other.
The elder reaper just rolled his eyes at the other. He hated being in the dispatch, much less so in the interrogation rooms, sitting on a horribly cold steel chair. They even thought it fitting to have him chained around the neck with bars made of death scythe iron. ‘For their own safety, just in case,’ they had told him each time.
Welcoming.
It was far less cruel than when he first got here, at least. He started off encased fully in chains and sigils while they questioned him. After they were done, off he went to solitary confinement for 145 years.
The only reason they brought him out again was because they were getting flogged with the increase in deaths during a pandemic. Only kept him around longer because he behaved so well. As long as he didn’t mess around with life and death again, he was free to do as he pleased.
Within reason.
“You lot have been having missing soul reports long before you let me out. At this point, you’re just using it as an excuse to get me locked away again,” the silver shinigami accused, his chain rattling slightly as he leaned forward and leered at the other. “Haven’t your agents found the true cause yet? That incompetent?”
The other reaper showed no reaction, much to Cedric’s displeasure. William was his least favourite of the London shinigami, he reminded the old reaper too much of what he used to be.
He was also just no fun at all.
“You should turn your sights back to demons, or even yokai. Some nasty energies around the city, I’ll tell you that much,” Cedric leaned back into his uncomfortable chair, giving up in needling the fellow in front of him.
“We’ll consider it. While you’re here, I insist on your monthly check-up.” William bowed his head to his elder as he left the room, sending in two forensics reapers in his wake.
‘Insist’ meant Cedric had no choice, of course.
Once a month, he’d be physically and mentally examined to ensure he wasn’t going to go rogue again. They’d check for any self-inflicted harm on his person, force him to fill out quizzes and surveys and confirm he was looking after himself.
After all that, they’d give him a crude form of antidepressants specifically designed for his kind. It wasn’t uncommon for grim reapers to go on medication for depression, given the very reason they’re in their predicament in the first place.
Cedric had just simply never needed them as an active grim reaper in the past, at least not in his eyes. Then, when he did need them, he was deserted and had no access to them. Human medication wasn’t nearly as far along as shinigami medication at the time, making it almost useless. Admittedly, he was also very stubbornly ignoring the fact that his mental health had declined after Cloudia’s death, then even more so after Vincent’s.
He was in no way a fan of the medication, but didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, as they’d often drug test him to make sure they were in his system.
In truth, it was the illusion of freedom he had been gifted. It was preferable to being locked in a white room for decades, but in some ways, he was still just as trapped.
With the examination done, Cedric took his leave.
As another precaution, the grim reaper dispatch had decided he wasn’t allowed to use any of his supernatural abilities within his living residence. Sigils had been placed and hidden from view in the walls of the apartment building he called home. Which, unfortunately, meant he was unable to teleport directly inside the structure and instead had to transport himself somewhere nearby without alerting any mortals.
Luckily, there were a lot of alleyways in British cities.
It didn't bother him too much. He had grown used to not using his enhanced abilities when he was a funeral director, and even more accustomed to not utilising them living in the modern human world for five years. There wasn't much need for immense strength or speed when all he was doing in his free time was sitting at a computer or reading. Even at his current job, he found no need to exert himself.
While walking to the elevator of his apartment building, he was given a few smiles and waves by other residents he had come to know.
He tried to keep to himself as much as he could, but people in this day and age were far more accepting than they were in the past. Even with his scars, long silver hair and odd fashion choices, most people were friendly, or at least kept to themselves. He had even seen people far more out there than he was.
It was a blaringly obvious difference to when he was a human.
He swiped the key card into its designated slot outside his front door, a small chime rang out to tell him the door had unlocked. Removing the card again, he reached for the handle and pulled the door open.
He froze at the sight of a long forgotten face standing in his kitchen.
Said face looked back at him in mild alarm.
Cedric blinked slowly at the demon spawn, trying to process if he was seeing things. The shinigami dispatch had given him prescription glasses once more, and while he only wore them on occasion, he was rather certain he had them on right now, as the image of Sebastian was so very clear.
Resisting the urge to take them off and clean them, he finished walking into the room and closed the door behind him.
Coming back to his senses a little bit more, the scent of fresh lemon and chemicals hit his nose. He took a moment to break eye contact with the demon to take in the room.
It was… immaculate.
The walls and floors had been cleaned, everything had been tidied, the cobwebs were gone and it smelt heavenly.
Cedric looked back at the demon.
Sebastian hadn't moved an inch from his spot in front of the counter, but it was clear he was tense. His chest was puffed out, shoulders raised and eyes were dilated.
He had good reason to have his hackles raised, Cedric was rather sure he’d be the one to win if they were to fight.
Or, he would be, under normal circumstances. Unfortunately for the reaper, within this building, he couldn't even summon his scythe. The sigils placed forbade it. Even more unfortunately for him, said sigils were specifically for shinigami and not demons.
But Sebastian didn't have to know that.
“You killed my spider,” was all he said.
The demon looked at him puzzled.
“Pardon?”
“She would kill bugs for me. I kept her around specifically as pest control,” Cedric explained.
“Why not take care of pests yourself?” The demon's brow twitched.
“I didn't have to, because she did it for me,” Cedric shrugged. “Did you… break into my apartment just to clean it? How did you even find out where I lived?”
“I have my ways. I was simply curious, but your abode was so horrendous, I couldn't help myself. Your standards are horrifically low,” Sebastian stated as he returned to chopping onions like he owned the place.
His guard had seemed to drop immensely after not getting cut in half immediately.
“Are you… cooking?” Cedric was so very lost.
“As a matter of fact, I am. Your fridge was rather tragic,” the demon shamed as he moved onto cutting chicken. “Ice already made a few meals and put them in the fridge for later.”
This was far too much.
The absurdity had finally caught up to Cedric as his stunned confusion devolved into manic laughter.
He continued to laugh even harder at Sebastians eyebrows furrowing.
The walls shook slightly with the volume of the reaper's laughter as he bent over holding his stomach. Tears started to prick at his eyes.
Sebastian decided to continue cooking.
He was sitting on the floor in a heap by the time his outburst dulled down into giggles.
“Not a habit of yours I missed,” Sebastian needled with his back turned as he utilised Cedric's stove.
“Ah, sorry, I'll go back to reviving the dead instead,” he giggled, peering at Sebastians back from the floor. “What makes me so lucky to have a demon doting on me currently?”
“I'm not doting, I'm just curing some boredom. I wasn't supposed to be here when you returned, but unfortunately, and I hate to admit this, you're very good at hiding your presence,” Sebastian cracked an egg against the counter with one hand.
He was right, Cedric was incredibly skilled at hiding his presence from other supernatural creatures, subduing his magic just enough that it wasn't immediately detectable. What Sebastian got wrong was thinking he was intentionally hiding it. With no magic being generated to begin with, there was nothing to sense in the first place.
He might be in a lot of trouble if the demon finds out what's actually happening here.
“Mm, yes, a skill that took a long time to learn, I'll tell you that,” he wasn't lying, just not telling him the truth. “How long are you planning on using my apartment kitchen to cure your boredom?”
“As long as I wish. Cooking is entertaining and you have no food in sight, this is a win-win scenario.”
“I personally don't think having a demon in my kitchen is a pleasant scenario in any sense.”
Sebastian turned and flashed him a charming, albeit sarcastic, smile.
“Remove me then,” He winked.
This demon can not know Cedric isn't physically capable of that right now. As much as he despises this creature, he's stuck with him until further notice.
“Perhaps I wish to use you to cure my boredom as well, little raven,” Cedric returned his smile.
God save his soul.