Interesting (AfterDeath)

Chapter 44

~~~~~~~~~~

Geno P.O.V

When I whispered the word 'mum', I felt Reaper freeze, then start quivering as he held onto me tightly.

"Y-Your mum..?" He repeated disbelievingly, his eyes wide as tears started to run down his cheeks. I hesitated, but nodded shakily, my body trembling, making him fall silent for a long while, his tears coming faster with each passing moment.

"...Gen... I didn't... I d-didn't..." he broke off with a choked sob, clinging to me tightly, his face expressing true terror and pain.

"I-I-I-I- I d-d-didn't kn-know, I'm sorry, I'm s-s-sorry, I..." he trailed off, seeming close to hyperventilating, shaking violently, a harsh sob racking his body.

"R-Reaps..." I whispered brokenly, stroking his arm shakily, but I don't think he heard me, nor felt my touch.

"I n-n-n-need t-to go, y-you w-won't w-want me here, n-not a-after... a-a-after..." Reaper broke off, standing up shakily, crumpling to the ground almost immediately, his legs shaking too violently for him to be able to walk.

I forced my sobbing to calm a bit, then pulled myself off of the couch as well, crawling to his side, wrapping him in an impossibly tight hug, crying into his chest as my mind screamed in confusion and pain.

Reaper hesitated, his shaking turning more violent at my actions, as if he was scared that I would hurt him because of what he had done, not hugging back.

"G-G-Geno...." he whispered, his words and body shaky.

"What is it, l-love?" I asked as gently as I could, managing a small, shaky smile through the despair of losing my mother to my boyfriend.

I faltered at the thought.

'It's not Reaper's fault... Reaper wouldn't have... not if he had known.'

"...why did you just call me that..?" He whispered brokenly, tears streaming down his face. "You... you c-can't love me after what I d-did. What I did was terrible... u-unforgivable. H-How...? Wh-Why would you l-love me..?"

I clung to him tighter, tears coming faster.

"R-Reaps... Reaps, I love you. I love you s-so, so much, and if you think that I would st-stop loving you because of something you were paid to do, s-something you didn't even know you were doing at the time, you're wrong. You're so, s-so very wrong," I whispered, shaking violently as I clung to him.

"You... you don't hate me..?" He asked sadly, wrapping his arms around me haltingly, as if unsure that he was still allowed to do so. I relaxed slightly when I felt his arms around me, though I was still shaking and crying softly.  "You sh-should hate me, y-you...  y-you sh-should be h-hurting me, n-not c-c-comforting me..."

"I could never hate you, Reaps... never... I said I'd love you forever, remember...? I promised. And I'd never hurt you.  Never, not in a million years.  My heart belongs to you still, okay..? Just... please.... please, don't leave with it. Don't leave me alone, Reaps.... I love you, I need you, please don't leave me because of this..." I pleaded, subconsciously tightening my grip on him.

Reaper's breath hitched, and he was silent and still for a long while, then started shaking again, sobbing quietly, holding onto me desperately, shattering in my arms.  I pulled us both into a sitting position, leaning against the couch with Reaper on my lap.