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unbe--weave--able · 5 years

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L’amour fleurit

Sapphic Sutcliff Week: Monday - Flowers/Hair

Pairing: Nina Hopkins/Grelle Sutcliff

On Ao3

Night was already creeping through her window as Nina continued to arrange a bouquet of flowers carefully, studying the book beside her almost religiously, making certain that she had in fact bought the right ones. Ambrosia for reciprocated love, Forsythia for anticipation, Jonquil for returned affection, along with solid coloured carnations to say yes and a single white camellia to inform their mystery lover that they were rather adorable.All in all a rather positive if very yellow bouquet, nothing like the mostly red one that had prompted it. She sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose as she tied the whole thing off in a ribbon and left it in the vase that had taken up a permanent residence in her home. Hopefully her red-haired admirer would receive the message.

Retreating to her room, the tailor thought back on how this whole affair had started in the first place, how someone she wouldn’t normally have looked twice at had become so infernally important to her.

It had all started about three years ago now, in June of that year if she was remembering correctly (and seeing how much of a head for detail she had, she was most certainly right).

---

“Madam Red, how wonderful it is to see you again!” The dressmaker called out enthusiastically, brown eyes flashing appreciatively over the red haired figure for a brief moment. It would never happen, she knew but one could hardly fault a woman for dreaming. The former baroness was a sight to behold, and an incredibly skilled surgeon to boot. Any sane person would fall for her. Behind the lovely vision of red trailed a black cloud of dreary dullness. A young man, effeminate certainly but still horrifically male, dressed in the most drab sort of butler’s garb with enormous round wired spectacles placed upon his nose darkening her doorstep.

She let out a low snort of distinct unimpressedness. Why was it that all the pretty ones had to come with the most disappointing people? After all, to her trained eyes it was quite obvious that the two were engaging in...more carnal pleasures with one another, given how the mouse’s eyes trailed across his mistress with the same sort of longing that Nina’s own did. Well, even despite his appearance, Nina had to credit him with good taste in women. Though in her opinion, even a blind man would be able to appreciate Angelina Dalles’ beauty, so that wasn’t saying much.

The vibrant red-clothed woman breezed in happily; chatting non-stop about the sort of dress she required, bringing Nina a much appreciated challenge for once, only to completely confound the tailor by requiring that her butler be the one to model the dress for her. Her butler?! A man? She was to be outfitting a man with a dress? Her brows raised slightly though she said nothing, merely ushering the drab little moth forward with a wave of her hand. He followed, eager as a puppy, causing Nina to sneer internally. Even worse than being a man, he was the simpering sort, always eager to please. So...wet. No matter, she would not let it be said that Nina Hopkins backed down from a challenge. She’d dressed far worse than this before in her time and was under no illusion that she wouldn’t do so again. After all, they couldn’t all be Angelina Dalles or Frances Midford. Sometimes she had to accept the men that came with them.

Whisking him off to her workshop behind a curtain, she stood him up, instructing firmly that he’d best not move lest she cut off certain vital parts before she turned to busy herself preparing the fabric. Though she didn’t notice, the butler’s face flushed a bright pink, eyes widening slightly at the brunette’s words, as though he were completely enthralled and enamoured by the idea of being so brutally maimed by the shorter woman. By the time she’d returned her attention to him the look had vanished, replaced by a nervous timidity that did nothing to endear him to her at all. Meek little thing.

For the next few hours she worked tirelessly, not paying heed to her mannequin. After all, if she didn’t acknowledge him at all then he may as well just be a dummy from a window rather than a living breathing person. He was murmuring under his breath as she worked and she had half a mind to tell him to shut his noisy mouth before she realised that his words were describing the type of stitches she was doing as she sewed him into the dress. Nina blinked in confusion behind her glasses, not often was it that a man knew anything at all about sewing. Certainly not about the type of things that she did and especially not in such a mystified voice.

That was...odd. Nina wasn’t certain how she felt about that. So she said nothing, simply continuing with her job until it was done. The dress was rough and entirely ridiculous looking on the man but she felt certain that on someone as pretty as Angelina, and once it was fitted properly to the woman’s measurements, it would look quite beautiful. (Though she was unwilling to admit it even to herself, the butler did actually look quite pretty, even in this unfinished dress.)

So she carted him out, allowed him to parade up and down in front of his mistress and definitely did not pay any heed to how natural it felt to see this man wearing such clothing, or to the fact that he seemed delighted to do so.

The madam appeased; and assured that a proper version would be made post-haste, the butler - mistress duet departed her shop. Nina let out a sigh, sad to see the vision of beauty having to leave so soon. She felt rather like she’d spent no time at all with the red-haired woman.

Once more however, her distraction caused her to miss the look of delight and happiness the butler had sent her way both after having finished the dress and after having taken it off of him again.

After that, her day had been much the same as it always was, more orders came in, clients came to pick up finished products and all too soon, the day was over and she was able to retreat home with her mind full to the brim with new ideas for a new line, for ways to improve certain designs she’d been asked to do. There was always room for improvement after all, especially when one made clothes for the type of people she did. Everything had to be absolutely perfect. This transcended to her homelife too, everything was perfectly in place because she had little time to search for tools should an idea appear to her suddenly. This was why she knew something was off the moment she stepped inside her home.

Like a sixth sense was guiding her, she made her way to the small kitchen and stopped dead, glasses slipping down her nose in concerned shock. The window was opened slightly, though she was certain she’d closed it that morning, and there, on the table lay the smallest bouquet she’d ever seen in her life, tied together with a red ribbon that clashed almost horribly with the flowers it contained. Camellia’s in varying colours, what she believed was heather and a single orange rose, open and beautiful.

Nina stared for a moment before going over to them and lifting them curiously. No note. What an odd thing to leave for her. To break into her house for even.

Shaking her head she cradled them to her chest for a moment before seeking out a bowl or vase to put them in. Someone had obviously gone to great lengths to get them here, it would be a shame to allow them to wither and die even if she had little idea of who could’ve left them.

Outside her window, a pair of unnaturally two-toned green eyes seemed to glow for a second as a concealed figure watched the gorgeous figure wander off into her home. But had anyone thought to look up at that point, they would've seen nothing more than the night sky, dotted with a million stars like freckles of gold across dark blue.

#sapphic sutcliff week #flowers #flower language #grelle sutcliff #grelle #grell sutcliff #grell #nina hopkins #sutkins #wlw positivity

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strivia · 5 years

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*arrives late to Sapphic Sutcliff week with my OC reaper girl and no connection to the prompts*

@red-butler told me I should post these. So uhhh, meet Violet, she loves her trans girlfriend Grell very much.

#Violet the Reaper #grell sutcliff #sapphic sutcliff week #Grell Sutcliffe #Kuroshitsuji #strivia scribbles

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cosmiclion · 5 years

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I should be finishing my pieces for the Reaper Zine and Sapphic Sutcliff Week but here I am drawing Grellshires. Anyway, scratch the kitty 👌🏻 I posted the sketch too because I liked both versions :3 NO I WILL NEVER STOP DRAWING THIS KITTY SHE HAS CONSUMED MY LIFE K THNX.

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fandom-fae · 5 years

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Sapphic-Sutcliff-Week

Day 7 - free day

(i thought it’d be a fun idea to draw them going on dates and having fun!! also i really wanted to draw one of those stereotypical confession scenes cuz i think they’re really cute :3)

Note: Grell is trans, not genderbend. Do not tag as genderbend.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #death note #sapphic sutcliff week #misa amane #grell sutcliff #grelle sutcliff #fandoms #my art

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fandom-fae · 5 years

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Sapphic-Sutcliff-Week

Day 3 - dresses

(i wasn’t sure what to do for this prompt at first, but then i had the idea to do like an outfit swap :D so i spent some time designing a modern dress for grelle as well :3)

Note: Grell is trans, not genderbend. Do not tag as genderbend.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #death note #misa amane #grell sutcliff #grelle sutcliff #fandoms #my art #sapphic sutcliff week #sapphic #wlw #queer #lgbtq+#trans #modern au #misagrelle #terfs dont interact

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fandom-fae · 5 years

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Sapphic-Sutcliff-Week

Day 6 - Masked ball

Note: Grell is trans, not genderbend. Do not tag as genderbend.

#death note #kuroshitsuji #black butler #grell sutcliff #misa amane #fandoms #grelle sutcliff #my art #sapphic sutcliff week #sapphic #wlw #queer #lgbtq #trans #misagrelle #terfs dont interact

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fandom-fae · 5 years

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Sapphic-Sutcliff-Week

Day 2 - Sharing clothes

Note: Grell is trans, not genderbend. Do not tag as genderbend.

#death note #kuroshitsuji #black butler #grell sutcliff #my art #misa amane #fandoms #grelle sutcliff #sapphic sutcliff week #queer #lgbtq+#wlw #sapphic #trans #modern au #misagrelle #terfs dont interact

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fandom-fae · 5 years

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Sapphic-Sutcliff-Week

Day 1 - flowers

Note: Grell is trans, not genderbend. Do not tag as genderbend.

#death note #kuroshitsuji #black butler #sapphic sutcliff week #my art #grell sutcliff #misa amane #fandoms #grelle sutcliff #lgbtq+#queer #sapphic #wlw #trans #modern au #misagrelle #terfs dont interact

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red-butler · 5 years

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Sapphic Sutcliff - Cosmetics

“Is this…all yours?” Mey Rin asked hesitantly, kneeling on the bed as Grell pulled out a seemingly endless array of little bottles and packets from a locked drawer in her room. There were more things than she would have thought possible, and in such varieties of colour and hue and form, how could any woman need this many make up accessories?

“Oh yes.” Grell glanced ruefully at the small pile they’d already formed. “I have more back at home of course, couldn’t exactly bring all of them with me.” She looked up at Mey Rin’s face and grinned, “You don’t use them all at the same time don’t worry! Most are just different colours of the same thing, to encourage the right mood and such, you know?”

Mey Rin didn’t know, but didn’t quite want to admit to that so she just nodded her head nervously and peered even closer at some of the powders and creams being carelessly scattered around. This was certainly one aspect of womanhood she’d never had much of a chance to discover, no one cared how the assassin looked, and without a mother or older sister to teach her, Mey Rin had never felt confident enough to search out cosmetics on her own.

Carefully she reached down and lifted a bottle. It was full of a bright red pigment, thicker than paint, almost as bright as freshly spilt blood and Mey Rin stared at it in fascination wondering what it could possibly be used for and why exactly painting your face made you more attractive. There were creams, powders, little brushes, some tiny scissors, some sponges, cloths…it all seemed overwhelmingly complicated for what should have been a simple enough thing, make yourself look attractive to find a man, or to make other women jealous she supposed.

“I don’t…I mean, it’s not that I don’t like you showing me all these things,” she said hesitantly as Grell settled cross legged on the floor and began sorting through the make up supplies she’d pulled out. “But I don’t understand why you’re showin’ all this to me? I mean…it’s not like I have anyone to impress, no one’s goin’ to be looking at a maid like me, even if I didn’t already have someone who, um, liked me…”

Grell did like her, she had plenty of proof of that by now, and the memories were enough to keep her blushing during the day sometimes. She’d also trusted her with secrets, including the fact she was secretly a woman, that she wasn’t quite as clumsy as she appeared but did enjoy teasing Sebastian and, oh yes, that she was secretly an immortal death goddess who was here exploring the human world.

“Mey Rin, it’s not just about looking good for men. Or women.” Grell added, frowning to herself as she checked a cracked bottle. “It’s about making ourselves look as beautiful as we can look for ourselves. You are absolutely beautiful my dear, jaw droppingly gorgeous, but you can hardly tell hidden behind those glasses and that awful, awful mop cap.” Her voice had relaxed and she was speaking in a manner no one would ever have expected from the nervous, timid young butler who had only this morning poured a whole jug of milk over Ciel’s lap, causing Sebastian to almost literally chase her out of the room. Mey Rin felt special, that Grell dropped the act around her like this, allowed her to see the real Grell Sutcliff; it showed how much Grell trusted her.

“I like my glasses.” She pointed out, raising a hand to them defensively, they had been a gift from Ciel, actual proof that he didn’t want her just for her eyes, they actually made her long distance sight worse, but the improved her short distance vision to the point where she could actually read, and clean and see to do things like buttons and such properly. And make up, it transpired. Once Grell had realised that Mey Rin had never actually had a chance to try on cosmetics, she’d hauled the other woman up to her room once their tasks were done to teach her how to wear it properly.

“I don’t know why, they’re huge and take up the entirety of your face.” Grell said, with the slightest flash of a smile. “They do make you look awfully sweet I suppose, but we’re aiming for beautiful here as well, not just adorable.” She smiled even more as Mey Rin blushed right up to the roots of her hair.

Cosmetics apparently arranged to her pleasing, Grell reached over and tugged Mey Rin down on the floor with her, where she’d propped up a mirror so they could both watch what they were doing. Mey Rin sat obediently and listened as Grell described each item she’d brought out and how it should be used. The enthusiasm in her voice was infectious, although her explanations on what colours went with what flew rather over Mey Rin’s head, she carefully memorised the colours and styles Grell promised would look best on her.

Then Grell’s hands were on her face, her eyes sharp with focus as she began using a pale powder on Mey Rin’s cheeks. Mey Rin held perfectly still, it felt wonderful really, intimate in a non embarrassing manner, affectionate and caring and gentle. Grell’s attention so sharply on her, biting the corner of her lip as she tilted Mey Rin’s face to the side and smoothed the powder over her cheekbone. The silence was calm and peaceful between them as Grell moved on to smearing the ointment over her lips, tiny brushes almost enough to tickle but not quite. Watching her own face in the mirror as it transformed, becoming sharper, defined, strong and bold and confident in a way she never really associated with her. And then Grell took her glasses off to take care of her eyes and Mey Rin was forced to wait impatiently, staring at the blurred figure that was the woman she loved and basking in the affectionate attention she was receiving.

At long last Grell appeared to be finished and handed her back her glasses, before she shifted to kneel behind her and began doing something with her hair, braiding it, it felt like. Mey Rin put her glasses on and examined her face in the mirror. It was still her, which was a relief, she didn’t think she’d like it if Grell had somehow managed to make her look like some beautiful stranger. But she was still herself. That wasn’t to say there wasn’t an impact of course, Grell had somehow managed to pull out every single one of her nicest features, highlight them and set them fully on display, just by using creams, powders and ointments. Mey Rin didn’t understand quite how she’d managed that, but she couldn’t deny the result was stunning.

“I don’t look like a maid any more…” She murmured, watching the beautiful woman in the mirror blink back at her.

“Is that a bad thing? You look beautiful.” Grell said softly, leaning over her shoulder and meeting her eyes in the reflection. “And…well, looks don’t define your job. You’re still a maid with make up? Although I doubt Sebastian would appreciate you wearing anything like this amount daily. This is more for a ball or a party or something similar.”

“Oh. There’s a lot of rules and such about this isn’t there?”

“Mmm. It’s always unfair on the women I find. Beauty standards I mean. Men can get away with doing so little in comparison.”

Her hair had been neatly braided and with her cap off and all the cosmetics on her face Mey Rin looked almost like a society lady herself. She scrunched up her nose, feeling the unaccustomed paint on her face moving with her.

“Don’t you like it?” There was the faintest tremor to Grell’s voice, the timid young butler who was so eager to please and worried when things went wrong and Mey Rin hurried to reassure her.

“No, no! I do really like it, you were right, I look beautiful,” She said, still rather surprised by that fact. “I just…is it really me? Like this? Well, um, obviously it is me and all, but it’s not a me that I ever really knew before?” She knew she was explaining it badly, that the words were, as always, not coming out entirely how she meant it, but she just couldn’t think of what to say to express her real feelings.

“Of course it’s you. Why would looking beautiful stop it being you?”

“Because I’m not beautiful.” She said instantly, the truth so overwhelmingly simple it flowed out before she could stop it. “Not…not like you are. Or mister Sebastian, or Madame Red or anyone like that. I’m…just Mey Rin…I’m just…just…”

“Oh Mey Rin…” Grell was suddenly wrapped almost entirely around her, hugging her tightly, as though she could hug out all the sad loneliness and anxious feelings of inadequacy she knew Mey Rin battled with all the time. They were true really though, she wasn’t special or important or really good at all. She wasn’t much good as a maid, and she was certain Sebastian could cope with the defence of the manor by himself if he really had to, she was just here out of pity. She was pointless.

Grell wrapped even tighter around her, as though she could hear her thoughts, pulling Mey Rin close up against her chest and tucking her under her chin. One hand was running soothingly through her hair, probably mussing up the braid just put in it, but Mey Rin didn’t much care right now, busy soaking up the warmth and love Grell was practically radiating right now.

“To correct the initial assumption, my dear,” Grell said softly, after a long moment where Mey Rin guessed she’d been gathering her thoughts. “You are, actually and really beautiful. Even without all of the make up, you are beautiful and I knew that from the very moment I saw you. The only reason you don’t have a legion of suitors hanging around after you is that you live well out in the country and you simply don’t have a chance to meet them. If you were in London you would have been snatched up in a heartbeat.” She said, and Mey Rin could hear her smiling as she spoke.

“I’m not…”

“You really are. I would say sorry but I’m not sorry in the least. You are a beautiful young woman and I care about you a lot. Secondly, to address the more obvious elephant in the room, why would you think that you’re not important?”

“I’m not though…I’m not smart or powerful, I’ve done plenty of bad things in my life…” She whispered. “I’ve…I was an assassin, before. I killed so many people, an’ they were probably good people too, they didn’t deserve to die, but I killed them anyway cos’ I was just a pair of eyes with a gun…a murderer.” Her breathing hitched all of a sudden and she was crying, she realised. She’d never cried over it before, it had been all she knew when she was younger, and once she’d started working here, well there hadn’t been much point in crying, she’d decided; it was all over and done with. But now the tears were streaming down her face and she was clinging tightly to Grell as though the other woman might vanish on her without warning. And she might, she’d just admitted that she was a murderer and an assassin and what person, even if they were a Grim Reaper, would ever want to love a woman like her. Grell would throw her away in disgust and tell her that she never wanted to see her again, let alone kiss her and hold her close.

“Oh my love…” Grell said, so soft and sad it broke Mey Rin’s heart further, she was going to leave her, she was going to leave her! “It’s alright; none of that was your fault. I’ve got you now, you’re safe and protected and well now.” She said, still running her fingers through Mey Rin’s hair, and ignoring the make up that surely must be smudging across her clothing as Mey Rin cried and hid her face in Grell’s waistcoat, clutching tightly to her. “You are not a bad person, you deserve to be happy.” Her voice was firm and certain, as though there could never have been any other answer than that.

“But-“

“No, no buts. You are a good person my Mey Rin, you care about the people you love and do your best to keep them happy. Your past does not define you, any more than Bard’s does, or Finny��s.”

Mey Rin wanted to protest, it wasn’t the same at all, Bard had been a soldier, and Finny had been taken too young to know anything, and how did Grell know about that anyway? But she couldn’t speak a word, could only listen as Grell held her and told her the things she desperately wanted to believe were true, the things she had never even known that she needed to hear.

“You are worth loving and caring about, and people do love and care about you, for who you are; because you are a good person who people want to know and love. No one is going to leave you or judge you or abandon you because of things that you did when you had no other option. Being desperate can make monsters of us all, but you came out of it and became a better person. I’m proud of you, for being able to put the violence aside, for being able to trust and love and be yourself. I am proud of you and I love you.”

“Grell…”

“I do love you, you ridiculous perfect amazing beautiful woman,” Grell said, with a slightly choked laugh. “I probably shouldn’t, but I do, and there’s no way out of it now, you’ll just have to accept my feelings.”

Mey Rin finally pulled back a little, breath still hitching occasionally but most of the tears dried up as she gazed up at Grell. She’d let go of the illusion, and the beautiful sharp toothed red haired lady was there, looking at her with such an earnest and sincere expression that Mey Rin couldn’t help but believe her.

“I…I love you too Grell.” She managed to say. And if the kiss that followed tasted a little of tears and relief, well, it was only natural.

#sapphic sutcliff #sapphic sutcliff week #grell sutcliff #Mey Rin #grellrin #my writing #my foction #kuroshitsuji #black butler

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red-butler · 5 years

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Sapphic Sutcliff Week - Hair

Cold…where was the blanket? Mey Rin kicked her legs, trying to see if it had fallen off, but felt no reassuring weight of fabric move with her. Where was it, had it fallen to the floor? It might be summer, but it was still cold at night. So where was it? Other side of the bed? She gave a heartfelt sigh and rolled, reaching out with one hand to find the errant blanket. Instead however, her hand came down on smooth warm skin, a sleeping body next to her that shifted under her hand, murmuring something incomprehensible and Mey Rin’s eyes flew open in panic, what was happening!

She twisted over, sitting up and reaching desperately for her glasses and gun while she squinted at whatever figure had snuck into her bed. As she managed to get her spectacles in place and see who it was memories came flooding back. Oh…right…

Grell Sutcliff was lying on the other side of her narrow bed, head pillowed on their arms as they breathed, eyes shut and expression more relaxed and peaceful than she’d ever seen. Slowly Mey Rin lowered herself back down, staring at the long lashes usually hidden behind his glasses, the high cheekbones and the slightly parted lips. She’d invited her up, blushing fit to explode, and almost entirely convinced that they’d say no. After all, a kiss was one thing, this was something else entirely, and she’d only kissed her a couple of nights ago, was it moving too fast? But then Grell would be leaving back to London in a little over a week, and Mey Rin was terrified of being forgotten, just a passing fling. So she’d decided to be brave, and just ask her to come up to her bedroom, and then had almost had a fainting fit when the other woman had smiled so eagerly at her and accepted.

And now Grell was asleep next to her, looking as though it was exactly where she belonged, and Mey Rin blushed to think of the things they had been getting up to; far better than in any of her romance books had even hinted at, when it was real and happening to you, not some character on a page. A contented sigh escaped her as she reached over Grell to pull the covers back over them both, unable to resist glancing down at the bared body next to her. She cuddled closer to her lover, listening to Grell’s soft breaths and trying to accept the reality where she, Mey Rin, former assassin and now Phantomhive maid, had a beautiful woman in her bed, sleeping peacefully. It just didn’t seem real, and she smiled wide enough to make her cheeks ache, reaching over to run her fingers through the butlers silky smooth hair, now freed from its ribbon and trailing down her back and neck.

She could hear the clock softly chiming the hour, nearly four in the morning, but right now Mey Rin was feeling wide awake, just getting to enjoy this soft secret time with Grell, who trusted her enough to sleep beside her, who wanted her enough to come to her room with her in the first place, and who cared enough to stay with her and not go sneaking straight off back to her own room the moment they were finished. A gentle smile playing over her face, she continued to stroke her hand through Grell’s hair, carding it, letting the long dark strands twist between her fingers, and admiring the contrast between them and her pale skin.

If someone had asked her a week ago to believe that this could be happening to her she would have laughed nervously and then tried to edge away from an obviously unhinged person. It probably wouldn’t last, once Grell went back to London she’d soon forget about her, but she would treasure it while it lasted. It was a shame she had to keep it a secret as well; but neither she nor Grell were comfortable with the idea of telling Bard or Finny, let alone Sebastian, and the prospect of the young master finding out about it was enough to make her die of embarrassment!

Mey Rin paused in her movements and frowned, caught up in her own thoughts she hadn’t noticed before, but was Grell’s hair getting lighter? And…longer? She sat up, peering in the weak moonlight, trying to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. But she was wearing her glasses, and besides, her fingers were confirming it; the more she ran her fingers through Grell’s hair, the longer and brighter it got. She swallowed, her heart and stomach twisting, what was this? How could someone’s hair grow and change colour in just a few seconds? It simply wasn’t possible!

She sat up, feeling her pulse pounding beneath her skin, Grell’s hair was down to her waist now, and a fiery red colour, instead of the subdued brown it had always been, and it seemed thicker and wilder than before, like a blazing mane trailing over the white blankets, unmistakable. Maybe she was still dreaming? She pinched herself sharply, and hissed at the pain. Not dreaming then. Going mad perhaps?

Her horrified gaze dragged over the rest of Grell’s body and May Rin swore her breathing stopped entirely. Inside Grell’s slightly opened mouth she could make out the outline of serrated teeth, sharp like a dogs or a cats…and something about her face seemed different as well, sharper, less worried and confused. Her eyebrows were more defined, and she wasn’t frowning, who was this stranger? Where had Grell gone? How had she transformed from a dark haired, nervous young woman into this fiery looking red haired titan? It….it just wasn’t possible! She backed away even more from the imposter, reaching behind her for her gun, only to forget just how close she was to the end of the bed, and fall off it with a muffled shriek of surprise, landing on the floor half tangled up in the blanket and scrabbling frantically for her gun as she heard the stranger on the bed make an inquisitive sleepy noise and shift, sitting up to peer over the edge of the bed at her.

She wished she were dressed, she thought as she stared up at the intruder. Even her eyes were different, a brighter, almost double toned green, practically glowing in the dim light, strange, unnatural and horrifying. A familiar calm settled on Mey Rin as her hand finally closed around the handle of her gun and she swung it up to point straight at the stranger, whose sleepy smile vanished immediately, frowning at the weapon in surprise.

“Mey Rin?” She asked, almost hesitant, and Mey Rin narrowed her eyes grimly, she didn’t know who this stranger was, that her Grell had somehow turned into, but she wasn’t about to lower her weapon.

“Who are you?” She demanded instead, and the stranger only looked more upset and confused, sitting up properly on the bed and peering at her, one hand reaching behind her and grabbing the round glasses Mey Rin was so familiar with. “What happened to Grell?”

“I-I don’t understand, Mey Rin?” The voice was so familiar, still that same soft, almost shy voice she knew so well, it sounded strange coming from the mouth of the red headed beauty before her. Mey Rin scowled and stood up, pulling the blanket with her so she didn’t feel quite so unprotected and keeping the gun levelled at the strangers head. She could call Sebastian, she supposed, but it wasn’t as though there were any danger yet, and she wanted answers.

“You ain’t my Grell, you look completely different! What happened to your hair, and your eyes!” She snapped as the stranger continued to look at her in hurt confusion. At her words they glanced down at themselves, and Mey Rin watched the dawning horror cross their face.

“Oh no, nonononooooo, dammit!” Her hands were in her hair again, combing through it just as Mey Rin’s had earlier, and the burning red was leeching out, the hair becoming thinner and tamer, shrinking back down, a swipe across her mouth and suddenly her teeth were normal again, straight and white, her face shifting, switching back until the timid young butler was blinking up at Mey Rin again, looking as hesitant and nervous as she’d ever seen her.

“Grell?” Mey Rin asked, against all common sense relaxing a little. She shouldn’t, Grell had just proven they weren’t human, they could shift form, change at will, they were dangerous and a threat. But at the same time, they were still the woman who’d been there for Mey Rin in a way she’d never believed anyone would be, and Mey Rin still cared about her.

“Yes…I….um…could you lower the gun please? I don’t want to get shot…”

“I’m not lowering my weapon! What are you? Who are you! And what do you want here?”

“I’m still me Mey Rin.” Grell said, a faint, slightly sad smile crossing their face. “I’ve always been me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to let you see…me, like that. Should have realised, I was sleeping, not concentrating on holding it in place, it only took a little to release it…stupid.”

“Holding what? What are you Grell, how can you do that?” Mey Rin demanded, voice rising.

“I’m…um, I don’t suppose you’d accept this is all just a dream and forget about it? No? Alright…er…” She frowned, twisting her hair over her fingers as she thought. “Could you please lower the weapon though? Bullet holes would be rather difficult to explain…”

“And have you attack me and go on to attack the young Master or something? I don’t think so.”

“I’m not exactly in a position to attack you, you don’t have to put it down, just stop pointing it at me? Please?”

It was probably a bad idea, but Grell did look sort of small and weak sitting there, and even if it was an act, Mey Rin was confident she could still shoot before Grell could lunge at her or something. So she lowered the weapon but didn’t relax even slightly.

“Thank you.” The smile looked genuine, full of relief. “Mey Rin…um…what I’m going to tell you is rather hard to explain, and to believe really.”

“You just transformed between you and that other person in front of me. I think I can cope with a little unbelievable.”

“…fair point. Right, um…well…as you may have surmised, I’m not entirely human. I’m a Reaper,

“A what?”

“A Grim Reaper, I look after the dead, make sure they pass on correctly and stop anything from attacking the souls as they move on.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

“Why would you have? We don’t exactly deal much with humans. But…well…we used to be human, long ago. And I’ve never quite forgotten what it was like…so sometimes I like to come back down and, well, pretend to be human again for a little bit. Make friends and eat good food and see the world again…” She said, her tone turning rather wistful and longing. “So when I met the lady Burnett…it seemed a good opportunity. I’m no danger Mey Rin, I would never hurt you. I promise.”

She sounded sincere, and Mey Rin’s confidence wavered a bit. There were clearly plenty of things in this world she didn’t understand, Finny and Sebastian were proof enough that people could, somehow, be brought beyond what would be normally expected for a human…and she wasn’t naive enough to think she knew everything about the supernatural, so the story could be true…

“Was..was that why you kissed me then?” She asked, fists clenching slightly as the thought occurred, “Jus’ for the experience?”

“No! No Mey Rin, no! I kissed you and, um…came up here tonight because of you!” Grell said immediately, straightening up and gazing at Mey Rin fiercely. “Because you’re smart and kind and sweet and you cared about me and accepted me no matter what. Because you are beautiful my dear, even if you don’t believe it, and because I like you, I really honestly do!” She made a move as though to reach out to Mey Rin, noticed the gun again and pulled back, “Even if you don’t believe anything else I’ve told you, please believe that Mey Rin…you are beautiful and amazing and I care about you.”

Mey Rin took a breath…Grell sounded like they were speaking the truth, but they’d been lying to her this whole time, could she trust them? Did she even want to? They wouldn’t have ever told her the truth if she hadn’t found out about it by accident, she knew that…but, well…it wasn’t as though Mey Rin had been honest with the butler either, she’d kept her past hidden and secret and let Grell think she was nothing more than a normal maid who happened to sometimes have a gun to hand.

“Can you change back? I want to see you, the real you.” She asked, lowering the gun almost completely now. She might not trust Grell entirely be, but she didn’t feel as if the other woman were going to attack her, or was any real danger. Grell tilted her head to one side, eyes scanning her face as though checking for sincerity before she raised her hands to her hair once again, combing through them, the red trailing after her fingertips as though she were painting in fire. Her teeth elongated, sharpened, her eye colour deepening and darkening and her bearing changed, sitting up straighter, more confident and controlled.

Mey Rin took in a careful breath and set the gun down on the table, coming to sit on the bed again, meeting Grell’s half worried, half hopeful expression. Now that she was looking properly, she could still see the butler hidden behind the flame headed beauty. They had the same face, the same way of carrying their entire soul in their eyes when they looked at you. Her hands were the same, long and elegant and just beautiful…and that expression, that look of soft gentle warmth when she met Mey Rin’s eyes, that was familiar, intimately familiar. Raising her hands Mey Rin brushed them through her hair, feeling how it was both familiar and strange to touch Grell like this, feeling the pulse under her fingertips pick up slightly as she leaned closer, almost within kissing distance.

“Is it still you?” She asked, quiet and soft.

“It’s still me Mey Rin, I’m still here.” Grell’s hands rose to wrap around hers, solid and warm and reassuring and Mey Rin nodded, she trusted Grell, she trusted that this was still the woman she’d fallen for, the woman who’d swept into her life and swept Mey Rin off her feet. She was still Grell and Mey Rin still loved her.

#sapphic sutcliff #sapphic sutcliff week #grell sutcliff #grellrin #mey rin #grelle sutcliff #hair #my fiction #my writing

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