A/N - And with this I finally conquer the writers block I've been suffering from for an entire year. Ugh, it's been dreadful. Hopefully the productivity continues!

Sorry this chapter is so short, it will get longer, promise! This one was basically just set-up.

Ciao, sugarplums!

The first encounter was his first day of work. He was feeling quite dapper in his new glasses and spotless white Oxfords, if only he could get his damn tie to cooperate! He was running late, still fighting with the tie in the hall, when a pair of slim hands covered his own.

"Here, allow me," a short brunet reaper said, a slight smile playing across his lips.

Deftly he fastened the black silk strip around Ronald's neck.

"Um, thanks," Ronald muttered, flushing slightly.

"Don't mention it," the brunet replied with a smile, "I can't have a fellow reaper looking slovenly on his first day of work."

Ronald smiled gratefully, rubbing his heel against his ankle in embarrassment. "Well, thanks just the same. Um, I'm Ronald Knox. Nice to meet ya."

"Alan Humphries. Good luck today." Then he turned and walked down a hall into an office.

Ronald stood there dumbly for a moment, before remembering that he was late and hurrying along. But the thought of Alan's smile and voice lingered in his mind throughout the day.

The second encounter took place the very next day, when Ronald was having the exact same problem with his tie.

He heard a quiet laugh from behind him, and a pair of slender arms encircled his neck.

"Here, you wrap this part around twice, then put the end through the loop, and then pull it down," Alan's voice instructed, directly below Ronald's ear.

He shivered involuntarily, and blushed, hoping that the brunet hadn't noticed his reaction.

"Thanks, again," Ronald said.

Alan simply smiled and walked away.

Ronald did his best to put thoughts of the shorter reaper out of his mind for the rest of the day, but several times he caught his mind drifting while doing some rather boring paperwork. Firmly he reigned his subconscious back to the task at hand.

Later that evening, however, as he pulled off his tie once at home, his imagination replayed the scene. Long fingers clad in standard black gloves all reapers wore, easily going through the motions of fastening the tie. A soft voice in his ear, close enough to feel breath on his neck.

Ronald shivered again. Confused thoughts and feelings tumbled through his head. He couldn't deny the physical reaction he'd had to Alan's close proximity, not to mention the way he couldn't seem to stop thinking about him. But he'd never felt like this over anyone but a girl before. He tried to imagine how such things could play out with another man... but grew too embarrassed and decisively banished the thoughts.

"Wrap this part around... twice...? Then... put in through the loop and... oh damn, that's not right." Ronald fumbled with the tie, trying to follow Alan's instructions. The only result was a mangled mess. He stuck out his tongue in concentration, standing in front of the doors of the dispatch offices. "Wrap this around twice... argh!"

Someone walking out of the doors laughed, startling Ronald.

A much taller reaper with a two-toned hairstyle and blue-tinted glasses leaned against the stair railing, grinning lazily.

"Struggling with your tie, kiddo?" he asked.

Ronald looked at his feet in embarrassment. "Er, yeah."

The other reaper's grin widened. "Huh. A'ight then, I'll give you hand."

Easily closing the space between them with long strides, the other man quickly secured the tie.

"Thanks, um..." Ronald began.

"Slingby. Eric Slingby," the reaper finished, starting to walk away.

"I'm Ronald Knox," he offered.

Eric turned around and grinned again. "Yeah, I know." With that rather bewildering statement, he walked away.

The fourth day, he finally managed to get his tie done himself, albeit not quite as neatly as Alan or Eric had done for him.

"Well done," Alan commented when they encountered each other in the hall that afternoon, and Ronald grinned with nervous pride. The brunet smiled indulgently and patted his shoulder as he walked past.

Ronald spent the rest of the day buoyed by delight at the exchange.

The next day his elated mood was promptly flattened. Sent to the library to fetch a particular record, his eyes fell upon a sight that filled his stomach with lead.

In a shadowy corner behind one of the stacks, Alan had his hands at the nape of Eric's neck, slim fingers twined through the blond section of the taller reaper's hair as they kissed passionately. It killed Ronald to watch, but somehow he just couldn't tear his gaze away.

Eric, completely belying his tough appearance, held Alan so tenderly and carefully, as if he were as fragile as a bird. Alan pressed himself against the other reaper as if he were the only sheltering rock in a stormy sea. So wrapped up in their intensity for one another, they never noticed as Ronald slunk away into the depths of the library.

"I'm such an idiot," he muttered to himself as he hunted for the record. "Well, it certainly explains Eric's odd statement the other day! I'll bet Alan told Eric all about me, and had a good laugh over it, too! The newbie who can't even fasten his tie right, yep. Bet he went on to say how flustered I was over him. God, no wonder Eric laughed at me. As if I'd ever stand a chance of attracting Alan's attention compared to him..."

"You weren't kidding when you said he was cute."

A quiet laugh. "You actually thought I was kidding?"

A shrug. "I can never tell with you sometimes."

"Even after all this time?"

"Maybe I just hoped you were kidding..."

A sigh. "I know. But... what do you think?"

"I still think this a bad idea is what I think."

"Could you just try? For... for my sake. Please."

"You know I can't deny you anything."

"Don't say that. I'm not a child to be indulged at my every whim."

"I wasn't saying that! Gods..."