When One Finds an Undertaker

Chapter 14

As Undertaker lowered me back to the ground, William walked over, not pleased. "What are you doing? I have not said if she is a Grim Reaper yet." Undertaker grinned, replying, "Ah~, yes~, but obviously~ she has passed~." William's eye twitched. "So, she's all~ mine~." With that, Undertaker pulled me close and kissed my lips lovingly and a bit hungrily. My eyes widened at this, and as he pulls away, I stare at him. William's right eye was twitching and I was becoming angry as Undertaker grinned at me.

"Yours?" I questioned, my eyes starting to narrow. He nodded, not realizing his idiocy. I nearly growled, but maintained my sanity to say, "I am no one's." With that stated, I slapped Undertaker in the face, pulled away from him, and calmly, but angrily, walked away from him. I did not look back, for I did not want to see the look on his face before I was too far for him to reach me. Yet, as I turned a corner, I stole a glance towards Undertaker. I could easily see the red mark on his pale cheek where I had hit him. He was entirely shocked and hadn't moved an inch. William was shocked, yet I could see one corner of his mouth turned upward. I looked away and vanished to the shop.

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A few hours later, I heard Undertaker walk into the shop. I could hear that his movements were slow and hesitant. He was still in shock I had hit him. Why should he be? I am not one's play thing!

"Nicu? Are you here?" Silence. "I need to talk to you about.. that." I did a small, sharp laugh. "Nicu?" He came over to me. I was at his desk, finishing paperwork William had so "graciously" given to me. "Look, I'm sorry." I did not give him a single glance.

"I doubt you know what you are sorry for. Am I correct?" I continued writing, cursing when I made a mistake. Undertaker sighed, sitting on a coffin near the desk. He replied with, "Not entirely, no. Would you care to explain why my face hurts?" He was attempting to amuse me. I had spent enough time with a horrible family to learn to control my emotions and facial expressions. While I was amused, I was not going to allow it to show.

"If you cannot figure out that the pain comes from the slap I gave you, how were you ever allowed to become a Reaper?" I had struck a nerve.

"Nicu, I'm just trying to figure out why you are angry with me, alright?!" He was angry with me now. I wouldn't have doubted it if he hit me, as well. I still had not chosen to look at him. My eye twitched as I made another mistake in my paperwork.

"You do not need to get so angry about such a small comment-" H interrupted me, "It isn't a small comment! Don't talk about me being a Reaper, okay?!" I looked up at him, positively through with his insanity for the day. The first thing I saw was the hurt and sadness in his eyes. He looked so miserable. I instantly felt awful for hitting him. In fact, he still had the angry red mark of my hand on his cheek. I reached my hand up to touch his face and he slightly flinched away. I gave him a small, soft smile and he allowed me to touch his cheek gently. "It still hurts, Nicu," Undertaker said, looking down slightly, his hair falling in his face.

I wanted desperately to change the subject, to take the sadness and hurt away. I asked, "Did you... Did you enjoy the party when we went?" Undertaker was slightly surprised by the sudden change of subject, and surprisingly, the sadness stayed in his expression.

"I enjoyed it enough, but... Too many reminders of when I was a Grim Reaper," he replied, fiddling with the single braid in his silver hair. He did not want to look at me. I tilted his face towards mine with my hand, my eyes soft.

"I keep saying saddening things, maybe I should stop talking altogether." I smiled. Undertaker rewarded my joke with a smile and said, "No, don't do that, I love your voice." He stood up, keeping close enough for my hand to stay rested on his face. Undertaker walked carefully over to me and sat on the desk, his legs near me. "In fact, I love everything about you." I suddenly twitched and felt hollow. My eyes changed to a fiery orange, I shifted my posture to a more provocative one, and I smiled in the same way. It was not me.

"Oh? Do you now?" My voice was flirtatious, as well. I tried to yell out, tried to tell Undertaker it wasn't me, but I couldn't. I, unfortunately, was trapped in my own body. "Prove it, darling~" Undertaker blushed under all that hair of his as I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck, my face quite close to his. He understood the message this other was giving him and kissed me. It went... farther from there. I enjoyed all of it, but I was in no control. I bloody hated it. I tried at several points during this, er, "moment" to warn Undertaker that the one he was loving at the moment was not me, but I could not get a single word out. Not once.