「Anime x Reader One Shots」

Overrated (William T. Spears x Reader)

"Love is overrated."

Will could never quite tell what originally drew him into you. There was nothing particular about you that stood out to him; you were quiet and you could maintain complete focus whenever the two of you were on the job. Your behavior didn't differ too greatly from his own and he supposed you were quite attractive, though he didn't believe those were the only causes for his attraction towards you.

Your personality was another factor to consider. Throughout his whole life of being a reaper, not once had he ever had a partner who mourned the life of the person whose soul they reaped more than you. You felt sorrow for everyone, people who you knew only through their own memories, and forgave them for all of their past wrongdoings, whether they were big or small. And despite all the sadness you felt, you remained unwavering and continued to do your job flawlessly.

If asked by anyone, Will would say your remorse for the humans was foolish or even downright pathetic for a reaper such as yourself. Yet deep down, even if he refused to admit it to himself, he couldn't help but admire those strong emotions of yours that moved him to the very core.

As much as he tried to push aside his ever growing feelings for you, it only worked temporarily. Every time he managed to convince himself that his feelings were merely fleeting, it only took a single glance at you for his emotions to betray him.

Relationships between reapers weren't necessarily something that was forbidden, albeit it was a rarity. The thought of forming a relationship with you was something that managed to cross his mind once or twice, though it was nothing more than a lingering thought. Perhaps if he were human, it would be something he'd take into consideration.

As months passed and his emotions slowly grew stronger and stronger, he began noticing that you were becoming the center of his attention, both inside and outside of work. At night, you were always the last thought on his mind before drifting off to sleep and at work, he always seemed to focus more on you than on the task at hand. That night, in particular, must have been the worst. The duty the two of you were tasked with was to follow an infamous drug dealer in the hours before his fated death.

"Do you suppose that's him?" you asked your partner, peering down from the roof of a building at a hooded man.

"Yes. That appears to be our newest target."

The two of you remained in silence for a few moments, doing nothing more than observing the man in the back alley, when another person showed up. He appeared to be much younger, most likely not even eighteen from the looks of it. He was scrawny and scared, yet he approached the drug dealer nonetheless with his money already out.

Will continued to stand there completely stone-faced as he watched the scene play out before him, though you couldn't even bear to look.

"Can't we stop him, Will? We can't just let a boy like him purchase opioids-"

"You're well aware of the rules, [name]," Will said, his voice free of any emotion. "We shall not meddle with the lives of mortals. If it is his fate to die of the very same drugs he chose to purchase, then that is how it will end."

"You're as cruel as ever, Will," you sighed, a hint of sorrow in your voice.

His lips parted as if to speak, but he was unable to breathe. Your words, although said to him before by other people, pierced his heart when they were uttered by you. Against his better judgment, he was almost tempted to go back on the very words he just spoke if only just to please you.

"Cruel, yet understandable," you continued. "In the end, he's the one making his own decisions. All we can do is hope that his life doesn't end here and that he'll make something better out of it in the future."

It was those words that knocked him back into reality. How could he possibly consider, even for just a moment, breaking the rules for nothing more than to merely please you? It was absolutely ludicrous, albeit it wasn't the first time he considered doing something drastic for your sake. Just how much of an influence did you truly have on him?

This urge to please you wasn't something he ever had for anyone before and just the mere thought of it infuriated him, yet he couldn't bring himself to hate you. No matter what, he didn't think he ever could. Out of every possible person who could hold any form of psychological power over him, he was certainly grateful that it was you, though it constantly made his work even more difficult for him. One of these days, he knew he would eventually make a rash move for your sake and everything he worked so hard for would be ruined.

As much as it pained him to face it, the idea of requesting a new partner was something that crossed his mind countless times. It wouldn't necessarily be unexpected of him; he was constantly requesting new partners whenever his old one would wear his patience thin. Once you were gone, he wouldn't have to worry about his feelings for you getting in the way of his work.

Everything would go back to norm-

"Thank you," you said suddenly, taking hold of Will's hands. "Despite your reputation as a reaper, you're far kinder than I expected. Thank you for always keeping me on the right track and for putting up with me for as long as you have."

Will was at a complete loss for words. Surprises were never something he was too fond of, and this was no exception. Between the sudden contact and your words, he forgot everything: how to move, how to speak, and even how to breathe. It took several long seconds for him to regain his usual composure.

Clearing his throat, Will said, "Well, of course. I can't have you ruining our operations for us, now can I? Now stop looking at me and focus on the target."

Despite his seemingly harsh words, you couldn't help but smile. "Of course."

As difficult as you made things for him, Will couldn't bear to imagine not having you as his partner. In his mind, love was overrated and relationships were pointless, though that didn't necessarily mean he wanted to stop caring about you.

No, his feelings for you could never be so easily forgotten.