Humbled ((Undertaker X Reader))

Act Twenty Three: Demise

  I expected William to attack once more, but once he collected himself, the man stood tall and confident, looking between myself and The Undertaker before eventually landing his full attention on the other reaper,
"It seems you have no intent on returning and I underestimated your battle prowess," He admitted cooly, but with respect leaking through his voice, "I can't be spending any more time here. Unlike you, I have work to do and I need to write a report on this incident now."
William exhaled before twirling his slender scythe between his gloved hands and tapping the handle against the church floor,
"Return the soul for collections and I'll consider this matter out of my hands and be on my way."
Even now, he was misjudging the mortician with the assumptions. Yet to admit defeat, I had a growing respect for the opposing reaper.
The Undertaker cocked his head curiously with hesitation and suspicion in his movements. His grip tightened around the hold on his scythe, but after a moment to think it over, the blade sliced through the air.
The movement activated the glowing record within that burst out with a brilliant blue glimmer. A ribbon of human soul danced through the air, winding around itself like a confused snake before William raised his scythe up.
It seemed to find its way between the two reapers and quickly shot out to rush into the new scythe. I nearly had to look away as the glow became brighter, only to vanish entirely when the soul was entirely consumed.
William pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with the tip of his scythe, causing a glare to mask his green eyes momentarily.
"Now that we worked that out-" The reaper paused to flash a short stare my way, "I'll be leaving. Expect to hear from the higher-ups soon."
"Oh I'm counting on it~" The Undertaker grinned a toothy smile in response, only receiving a frown in return.

Before he verbally responded, William pulled out a small log book from his vest pocket only to pause,
"There's work to be done. Hopefully, that imbecile can handle it for a while while I make my report."

Work?
"You mean soul collecting?" I questioned before I thought about it. Rather than being brushed off like I expected, William nodded curtly,
"Indeed. A sudden uptick is bothersome but hardly worth alarm."
He shut the book quite aggressively and pocketed it once more before starting forward. His movement was more relaxed now, clearly given up on the battle.
The mortician must've sensed the lack of intent as well, because he moved aside to allow William to pass and head for the door without a word exchanged. That was it then? After all that, he just... Gave up? I couldn't get a clear reading on William, but at the very least, he seemed like an earnest guy.
As soon as he was gone from view, I broke into a run and hugged The Undertaker once again, as tightly as could be. I felt so weak and small compared, yet entirely safe.
I could still remember my first impression of him, it certainly wasn't the same as it was now. He felt stronger, perhaps even taller. Or perhaps he was simply standing straight. This time though, he didn't return the embrace.
Not that he felt tense or uneasy, but rather, the reaper slumped, encouraging me to release and examine him carefully. What could it be? He won the fight, didn't he? The Undertaker frowned before he raised his head, as though trying to listen for something I couldn't hear on my own.
"Is something the matter?" I finally had to ask, but he was quick to cover my mouth with his cold palm, silencing me where I stood. What was this?! Still, not looking my way, the mortician hummed thoughtfully and looked back to the doors William had only recently left,
"(Y/N), my little canary, would you be ever so thoughtful and remind me what happened at the parlor?"
Oh, the parlor... That's right...
When the man lowered his hand away, I thought back carefully,
"Nicholas came in with a handful of guards and began to tear the place apart. I struck him to run away. I didn't stay adequately to see if I truthfully hurt him though."

Silence greeted me, then The Undertaker swiftly faced me once more. Before I could react, a rough grip fell upon my shoulders and gave me a push that nearly made me stumble before I caught myself while taking a step back,
"No good at all, one of them slipped away~" He tried to smile, but there was no joy in his voice as The Undertaker feigned his playful attitude. "Our fight went on much longer than I wanted, no doubt there are eyes outside on the church currently, he'll be looking here before long, I fear."
Did he mean... He could sense Nicholas was coming closer?! But how? Was that possible, even for a death god? Just the thought of it twisted my heart into a fear unexplainable. Why? Why couldn't he just die?!
Seemingly noticing my rapid descent into stress, I was swiftly pulled into a hug before I could say anything about it. As nice as it felt, it couldn't do anything to quench my panic.
No matter how tightly I clung, not the warmth or the security of his arms could heal the horrible memories.
"How close?" I finally asked, only for the reaper to sigh solemnly,
"Couldn't say~ My trim defenses only know one life fled."
Defenses? I couldn't recall there ever being defenses at the shop. Surely they were not always there, were they?
I could not believe it mattered at the moment with all things considered, and yet I wanted to ask about them. I didn't wish to move or try to escape the encounter I knew would be coming. I was tired, too tired to keep running away. Emotionally, physically, even mentally, I couldn't do it any longer. This had to end.
That was simply the sort of woman I was; a stubborn bull who faced everything head-on. Even if I... Ran away at first, it was only so I could turn around and charge even stronger... Wasn't that right?
Without pulling away, I closed my eyes to feel the hug even more,
"What defenses? I'm mighty curious."

He hesitated for a moment before chuckling softly. With his free hand, the reaper placed a hand atop my head. Once something that troubled me so, it was now so comforting.
"Ah~ Hardly a question that matters right now, is it? That little book of mine is just a few feet away, we can do anything we'd like to stop him, my dear."
"No," I didn't want that. It was odd, but after watching such a dangerous battle, I felt a resolve in my heart, "No matter what I do, he's just going to come back unless I stop him now. I'll never be free, so I've decided I'll face him. Can we simply talk before he's here? I want this time with you, in case I..."
I didn't need to finish the sentence, I was sure we both knew what I was implying. I was unsure I had the strength to say it aloud. I shook my head and pulled back so I could meet his face,
"I spent so much of my life letting someone else plan it, but I finally know what I want." I continued when he didn't respond "I want it enough to fight for it, so I should do that. I found my way here so I could protect you, but let me protect myself too. Otherwise, what kind of intern would I be?"
I heard that before, didn't I? Where did I hear it to make me want to say something like that?
In case it truly was the last time, I wanted to take in the beautiful appearance and hold it within my memory.
One hand moved to intertwine with the reaper's slender fingers. I took a tight hold and etched every detail into my memory. Skin of porcelain white with long nails painted a midnight black. They weren't sharp but rather filed in a more square shape. Still, just by their length alone, it was incredible how diligent he was when he was embalming to never allow them to break.
My other hand reached out to brush along the cold skin of his scarred cheek. The Undertaker didn't stop me, but his expression was bothered.
How annoying, how could I remember the details if I couldn't even meet his eyes? My thumb brushed across his cheek before carelessly moving aside those long bangs he always had. The glistening lime eyes met mine, finally getting him to crack a smile,
"Such a fascinating human~" The man hummed, "You're bold to choose this. I won't be able to help you, I fear. Hurting a living human while that bothersome association is already watching me... Ah, how annoying."
As he spoke, his grip tightened,
"My defenses, you asked of. Just some special dolls of my own making. They're truthfully partly why that boring man was here. I made them with special magic~"
With a teasing snicker, he released my hand to hold a finger over his lips as a sign to keep quiet about it. How interesting, I wouldn't have ever expected something like that, but at this point, I was open to new possibilities. Not too long ago, I didn't believe in magic, but I had seen it for myself.
But dolls...
That sounded quite cute!
On the other hand, I didn't expect I would have to do it alone. He was powerful, but still only a reaper. If he got in trouble for taking the soul of a dead when he wasn't supposed to, I couldn't imagine what would happen if he killed a still-living man. Even if that man deserved it and more, the grim reaper would obviously be forbidden from killing.