Hello! I'm back from the dead! Here is the next chapter, hope you like it!
guadadominguez4: Thanks for reviewing, it means a lot to me you take the time to read and comment every single chapter, thank you! I don't think Taker and Lia will ever stop being adorable, they are just so cute to write! Yep, that's definitely madam red, we're getting closer! Tofu is definitely up to something, althoughI don't think Dalia will catch up right now, too much excitement.
Sorry if I worried you all, but I'm much better now! And here's a chapter to prove it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler. Ask Yana Toboso.
The Gamer: Fun and Games
Soon Christmas pounced on us, and we were ruefully unprepared.
The only preparations we had in place, had been made before... the incident. Afterwards, neither of us had put much thought into the quickly approaching festivity.
We weren't really celebrating. How could we celebrate anything, when Undertaker had lately been submerged into a pile of what seemed to be paperwork? Undertaker didn't like paperwork.
Which made me suspect that he was trying to investigate something.
I was certain it had to do with Phantomhive.
It was that, or he was just throwing himself at the first distracting activity he found. He had been very clingy, after all.
Not that I minded, I actually appreciated the attention.
Our spirits weren't really into preparing for the holiday.
He had tried. He said something about life being too short to waste it on tears, and had attempted to decorate the shop.
He had given up midway through, returning to his paperwork in a fit of anxiety. He was definitely looking into something.
We closed the shop all the same. But we didn't really do anything... Christmas-y
I managed to whip out two presents for Undertaker and Biscuit. Tofu also got a present, of course, but he liked everything I made for him. Even if he denied it fervently.
He, too seemed distracted with something. I would feel kind of lonely, with everyone doing something secretly, if the reaper hadn't made it his life mission not to let me out of his sight.
I also managed to make a cake... it wasn't a Christmas cake, like the one Undertaker usually made, but I didn't know how to make one, and Undertaker was forbidden from cooking. I had worked with what I had.
It wasn't a chocolate cake, of course. I wouldn't forgive myself if Biscuit ended up dying from chocolate poisoning.
Christmas was... subdued. We weren't really celebrating. It felt a bit like the time back when I didn't celebrate Christmas.
We acknowledged the fact it was Christmas, but there was no point in preparing anything, when everyone is far too sad or busy mourning to actually enjoy the occasion.
After changing Biscuit into their pajamas and bringing them into bed, I went to look for the disappeared reaper.
Biscuit wouldn't stay there forever, if we didn't join quickly.
Fortunately, Biscuit was improving in the patience department. And it only helped that Biscuit had already fallen asleep.
I went downstairs, where I heard a catchy song being singed very off-key, although the singer didn't seem very concerned with keeping the pace of the song.
Surprisingly, I found Undertaker drinking his brain off, in the kitchen.
And he was the one singing, when he wasn't drinking.
He was a horrible singer, but he seemed to be having the time of his life.
I pursed my lips, looking disapprovingly at the reaper.
Not because he seemed to be enjoying himself, of course, he can sing whatever he wants. I was more concerned about the fact he seemed completely high.
"My humble self is the funeral home's undertaker~, and I humbly accept your request for service~.
I will provide a handmade coffin, just for you~, and you'll surely be satisfied with its comfort~." Not to mention his song was creepy as hell. What the hell is he thinking? Singing a song about... well, himself.
He was twirling and dancing a strange dance to a song I never heard of. At the very least he was having fun, I had been quite worried about him these last few days.
"In the big moment of your life's conclusion~, please allow my humble self to lend you a hand~.
I will paint it beautifully and lovably~." He kept singing, swinging his hips from side to side, jumping on coffins and throwing anything that stood in his way.
Until he noticed me.
He almost pounced on me, swinging me from side to side to the beat of that catchy, creepy song.
"How fun~! How fun~! Being an undertaker is fun~!" He started singing again, as he twirled me in place. "Your body will be in my possession~." He smirked, bringing me closer to him. "There's no need to be troubled or distressed~, because you can always feel free to consult me~." No. I don't think anyone will consult him anything, if they see him singing off key and dancing on top of a coffin.
"Taker, if you keep singing you'll either run out of business... or become swarmed with job offers." And not in the sense that they will be impressed. Or... well. Yes, they will be so impressed they will suffer from a heart attack, swarming him with work.
I stared at him, but he didn't seem that concerned with going to sleep, if his attempt to take the beaker containing some kind of clear liquid that reeked of alcohol was any indication.
"Go to sleep Taker, you're drunk." I wasn't impressed. Not at all.
"Not yet, little Lia~" The reaper didn't seem that worried, though. He just kept giggling and drinking.
He then turned to me, offering me a beaker.
I glared at it, then at the reaper, who had restarted his creepy song.
"Have some lukewarm black tea and freshly baked cookies~, and let's slowly and leisurely have a chat~.
The price, is to give me the greatest laugh~." He giggled, offering me the cup and waiting for me to take it, like he was so sure that I would do it, that he only needed to wait.
I sighed, exasperated at his antics. Then I absently eyed the beaker in his hand, contemplating.
These last few days, Undertaker has been... a bit scatterbrained, and very bipolar. One moment he was his normal cheery self, being creepy, like he was right now, then he suddenly gets all quiet and meditative, and the next moment he's tackling me to the ground, attacking me with kisses and cuddles like a damn octopus. He's just... jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other in a second's notice. It was a bit confusing, quite frustrating, and very worrying.
I sat on the coffin the reaper had been dancing on top of, dragging him down to sit next to me, where he rested his head against me, and practically using my body as a pillow for his.
The ass was still singing, straight into my ear. He sounded like he was a breath away from bursting out laughing.
You know, after a while I'm starting to think he's not that bad... at least he's having fun. And I'm growing fond of his singing... as horrible as it is, it somehow... fits him. Creepy, strange, and it takes a while to get used to, but lovable and funny once he opens up a bit.
I smiled at the dork, before the reaper offered the beaker again, by shoving it in front of my face. I looked at the offered alcoholic beverage. It... wouldn't hurt to make him some company, right?
He clearly needed it.
Somehow, Undertaker had managed to get Dalia to drink. At first she hadn't drank that much. At first being the key word. Somehow, a single sip had been enough to get her tipsy. And from there she didn't stop drinking.
He actually hadn't had any shady intentions, he had truly been of the belief that it would cheer her up, making her a bit more loose, like it did to him. She had been very worried about him, these last few days...
He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little bit guilty, even if he hadn't really forced her to drink. He hadn't known his little assistant would become... this, when drunk.
"Everything is bullshit!" She exclaimed, tears running down her face with worrying ease.
Dalia was a sad drunk.
She was crying rivers and hugging him like he was a lifeline, her hands were turned into fists, grabbing onto his clothes like she feared he would leave when she wasn't looking.
"Come on, little Lia~ the world is never fair, but that's no reason to let it drag you down~" he attempted to cheer he up, without much success.
"No!" She almost shouted. Almost. "I'm a worthless scrap of a human being... and a useless piece of shit... I'm so stupid I couldn't find my own head even with a map and directions" she almost wailed, but a few laughs escaped her, as if she thought what she just said was very funny. It wasn't funny, and he should know, he was an expert on that department.
His little Lia was in the middle of a self-deprecating rant. And he had no idea on what to do. Normally, he could have dealt with that without much problem... But she was spilling a sob story about her parents being worthless scum.
"It took me until I was twelve years old to learn their given names... and even now, I'm still not sure what their job was. I know nothing about them..." after this her voice turned quiet, almost like she was saying this to herself. "They were strangers... They were strangers."
He blinked.
After this, he wouldn't let his little Lia drink any alcoholic beverage. Ever.
"It's my fault... if I had been better, I could have gone to play with the other kids... but I wasn't the daughter she wanted, and she got angry... she's scary... I don't want to see her angry again... it hurts..." she spoke, completely unaware of where she was or why was she talking about this.
How had a single, innocent song degenerated into this?
Never ever, was he leaving her near a drink again.
In fact, he was completely willing to throw all his alcohol out of the window, he would certainly miss the high it gave him, but if that meant he didn't have to see her like this again, it would have been worth it.
He didn't need alcohol to be happy anymore.
"They forced me to learn horse riding... they said I liked it... but I didn't... I liked taking care of the horses, not riding them... but at least I met Kaito there... so I guess they were right, then? Of course... I'm always wrong..."
She sniffed pitifully, and even if she wasn't making much sense, it was enough to pull at his heartstrings.
He attempted to hug her, but realized he was already doing that.
Alright, maybe he was a little bit tipsy.
"I was so lonely... I was so scared... everything is always so dark in there... I had to sneak out at night... mother didn't like... I don't know... maybe she just didn't like me... she sometimes forgot to give me food... she didn't like it when I was outside my room... she didn't like to hear me, either... I once fell out of bed, when I was little... and I cried... she didn't care... she just wanted me to shut up... she put a lock outside my door... I had to leave through the window to sneak food from the kitchen... I'm scared of heights... I guess it's my fault. Good daughters don't sneak food. I wasn't good..."
She just kept sprouting more and more depressing happenings in her life, with an emotionless face, almost dazed.
He knew better than anyone that life wasn't sweet. It wasn't all roses and laughter.
It still hurt, to know she had lived anything less than the perfect life he felt she deserved.
Apparently, his little Lia had had a good reason to dislike alcohol, after all. She was such a lightweight it wasn't even funny. In fact, he was never again accepting booze as payment for his mute services. No more alcohol in a mile radius of his shop. He would sneak into his neighbors' houses to steal and destroy their booze.
He looked at the beaker in his hand like it had personally offended him.
He blinked, realizing that sneaking into other people's houses might not be the best idea, after all. Maybe he should be satisfied with keeping a five foot radius around his assistant alcohol-free...
He was picking the wrong target, he knew. It wasn't the alcohol that bothered him, but all those stories Dalia kept vomiting like one narrates how they went to the market. He definitely wasn't going to let her go back to that dimension. Why would she ever want to go back, he couldn't understand. But he wasn't going to let her leave. Anyone trying to bring her back there would have to face a few pounds of angry reaper.
He couldn't help but giggle at the thought.
Yes. That was a good plan~, although he should probably consult it with his not tipsy self, he made the best decisions... like getting drunk. That was a very good-
Wait, no. There was something horribly wrong with that thought.
He squinted at absolutely nothing, thinking hard.
No. If he hadn't decided to get drunk, Dalia wouldn't be sad. Getting drunk had been a horrible decision, why did he ever listen to his sober self? He made the worst decisions!
That's it. He was never again going to listen to his sober self, and he wasn't going to drink anymore. Nor sing!
Wait, no. He put a hand on his temple, warding off a headache.
He was picking the wrong target again. Singing hadn't been at fault, he could still sing.
In fact, he should sing again right now to prove that songs were innocent of any crime his sober self was attributing to them.
Yeah, he should do that.
Wait... what was he doing again?
He felt his eyes widening to the size of oranges, surprised at his own lack of focus.
"Someone once stuck chew gum on my hair... and everyone said that I had been the one to do it. I don't even like chew gum... well, I do... but no one ever bought me chew gum... I still remember that... the gum had been mint flavored... the type of gum I like less... it's too strong... I never liked mint chew gum... they had to cut my hair... I like long hair... not that mother liked my long hair... she was happy to cut my hair... no one believed me... and they laughed at me..."
Ah, Yeah. That.
Maybe he did drink a little bit too much. Just a bit. Or maybe he just drank himself silly.
Why had he decided to drink in the first place? Hadn't he said he wouldn't drink anymore? Or was that after he had already downed the first two bottles?
Why in hell had he decided to get drunk?
Oh, yeah. He had been thinking about Vincent.
He proceeded to take the still half full beaker from Dalia's hand, downing it like it was water.
Much better.
Now that both her hands were free, she started intertwining her fingers through his hair, admiration in her eyes.
"I love your hair... don't get chew gum on it... alright?" He blinked. Had they been talking about hair? They apparently had, as she leaned more into him, and started... smelling the hair? She was definitely out of it.
And so was he, if he hadn't started reassuring her the moment she started talking ill of herself. Or... wait, he had already tried that, hadn't he? Maybe?
Booze is over, for both her and him. He was banning alcohol altogether from his life. What was he thinking? Impairing his senses to such an extent? He had to...
Ah. Wait, no he didn't have to. Not anymore. He retired. Sort of.
She started brushing her cheek against his hair, and although he liked her so cuddly, he would actually prefer if she wasn't spewing sad stories while hugging him.
It did kind of take away the beauty of the moment.
"Mother didn't like me calling her 'mom'... She said it was... too cutesy and that it was disgusting... I once asked if I could play... to act like I was a cat... she didn't let me... she said it was stupid..." she was mumbling. He tried to imagine her trying to act as a cat.
The mental image was too cute for his old heart.
"Alright... party time is over, dear~ hi hi hi~... and so is alcohol for the next century at the very least..." he giggled. He shouldn't giggle, he would wake up his sober self~
Ugh. He felt some of the haze dissipate enough for him to realize this night wasn't going to end up any better that it already was... if that made sense...
Never again was he drinking so much. Or at all. This was it. He was quitting brandy, vodka and any form of alcoholic beverage he came across for the next fifty years.
Which was more or less the time where his little Lia would die, and then he would wallow in his misery for a century or two, drinking himself to sleep. That sounds like a plan.
...that didn't mean he couldn't sneak a glass of wine, here and there, right...?
"Okay... sniff... this is the first party I have ever been to... does the Halloween ball count...?" She mumbled, thinking. "That had been job related... and at least here we sang... or you did... did we dance? Maybe we should... I would like that..." she blinked at absolutely nothing.
She suddenly sat up, like she had something very urgent to do. "Ah! No, I have been to a party before! It was a birthday party..." at this her excited face turned sad again. "Mine, I think... my parents invited their friends because I didn't have any... I was... three... or five..." he could swear he heard her whisper 'or ten' right after that, but she quickly continued with her story before he could actually gather enough brain cells to process that information. "mother cooked something... no, wait. That wasn't... no, it was... uh... cake... I couldn't eat any cake... because my mother and friends ate it all... maybe another party... uh... alone in my room... Uh... cookies..." her senseless mumbling descended into barely understandable whispers, until she went to quiet she simply kept narrating the story inside her mind, and he couldn't hear any more.
He backtracked on his previous train of thought. He wasn't drinking again, not even wine, at least not if she was in the same room.
"Can I get cookies... for my next birthday...?" She looked at him with tear-filled, hopeful eyes. How could he say no to that face?
"You can get whatever you want, dear... I will give it to you... as for the cookies, why wait until your birthday~?" He softly conceded. He was weak for her sad puppy eyes.
She gave a small cheer. She was so precious.
He could now understand her hesitation, when talking about where she came from. He felt like he had somehow cheated into making her tell him about something very personal of hers. She always did her best not to pry into his past, when he wasn't willing to give it up.
Of course, this had been an accident, he hadn't known she would talk about her past, when drunk, but... the fact stood that he shouldn't have offered her that drink.
He just hoped she didn't get too angry...
Although, she was quite cute when she was angry. That childish anger that they both knew wasn't serious.
He didn't think he had seen her truly angry, yet.
The angriest he had ever seen her was when they met Zephyr for the first time, when he threatened Biscuit. Even then, she had been containing herself so much, that she became physically tired, when they got back home.
Home...
He looked at the human in his lap, singing a song about ducks.
A smile pulled upwards the corners of his mouth.
She had turned this old shop into a real home.
She looked at him with half lidded eyes. There was something... appealing, in those sad, sad eyes. He felt himself being drawn closer to her.
He kissed her slowly, tasting the alcohol in her mouth. She clumsily pressed her lips against his.
He pulled away, chuckling.
She was so adorable. He loved it all, from the awkward second she froze in embarrassment whenever he kissed her, to the clumsily uncertain way she attempted to kiss back. He loved the soft warmth of her lips, he loved the taste of her mouth, and the way she tightened her hold on him, like she would fall if she didn't.
He loved everything about her.
Her kisses were far from perfect, but life wasn't perfect, and neither were they.
It was somehow fitting, and he couldn't get enough of those imperfect kisses.
She yawned. She was so adorable, when she yawned.
It was like seeing a sleepy child, rubbing her eyes tiredly, while denying any claims of tiredness.
"Let's go to bed~" he suggested. It was for the best. His little Lia was tired and he was getting more sober by the minute.
She turned to him with a very... curious expression.
It was a mix between a judging gaze and badly hidden anticipation.
"Are you going to do naughty things to me, in our bed?"
He knew he shouldn't, but almost choked on his own breath.
Well... that was... something.
"No~" He sang, amused at the question. And a bit more than embarrassed at the blunt way Dalia asked the question.
"Why not?" She asked, eyebrows furrowing sulkily.
"Because you're drunk little Lia~" And so was he, a fact he shouldn't forget.
"Am I not appealing enough? Am I not sexy enough?" She pouted, angrily moving her hands around, bringing them over her hips bringing attention to them.
His eyes followed the trail left by her hands, over her hips, up to her chest, and to her eyes, deliberately stopping on her neck on the way to her face. He couldn't help but admire the view.
Damn. He wasn't drunk enough to get away with this.
"That's not the problem here." He attempted to defend himself.
"So that's it, isn't it?" She exclaimed, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I'm fat and not sexy and you don't want to throw me against the bed and make dirty, naughty things to me!" She wailed like a child who was denied more cookies.
"You're not fat, little Lia" he started, trying to justify himself. "And your physical appeal isn't a problem, believe me" while he said this, his eyes couldn't help but keep sneaking peeks at her chest and the soft skin of her lips.
If he looked low enough, he could make out a bit of her bare legs... he shook his head wildly. Too drunk to not help himself, but not drunk enough to actually forget why actually doing anything was a bad idea.
Eyes up, old man. Now is not the moment.
"You said I was fat..." she accused softly.
"Did I, really~?" He sang, even if he already knew the answer.
"Yes... you said I was fat." She was pouting, her lips softly beckoning his own like a mermaid singing a love song.
"If I remember correctly, I said 'dense', not fat." He stated as a matter of fact, eyes glued to her lips.
"It's the same..." she softly protested, not realizing what she was doing to him.
"No it's not." He almost croaked. "I called you dense in a... hard of head kind of way" He blinked, thinking about what he just said. He just insulted her, didn't he?
...was it wise to insult her to her face, even if she was drunk? Well, too late now.
He should have picked his words better. He still had a lot to learn, when it came to not offending people. Surprisingly, that was something his little assistant was way better than him at.
The fact that he found terribly amusing the angry looks of the people he offended didn't motivate him to learn, though.
But he definitely didn't want to offend his little Lia.
"...so..." she started. "I'm not fat?" She asked uncertainly.
He almost sighed in relief. Instead, he giggled. She hadn't picked up on the slight. Good.
Next time he was choosing his words better.
"No, you're not~" He confirmed.
She stood there, looking blankly at him, then a small, self-satisfied smirk slowly curved her lips upwards.
So adorable. She got all happy just with that.
As she wrapped her arms around his torso, he tried to not pay too much attention to her breasts pressing against him.
Sadly, he couldn't help but take notice of her soft skin brushing with his own, the way she softly pressed her cheek against his neck, the comfortable, warm weight of her body on his, the way she sat on his lap, her bare legs lightly brushing his...
Great, if things kept going this way, he would have another problem to take care of, in his pants.
Did his little Lia enjoy his suffering?
He shook his head. No, she was drunk and she wasn't thinking straight.
If anyone was at fault here, it was him. For making her drink.
That was a mistake he was never repeating again.
Yep, it was his fault, he was the least drunk of the two, and even worse, he should be old enough to know how to control himself. Mind over matter and all that, right?
Instead, he was being an idiot, acting like a young man seeing a pair of bare legs for the first time.
Taking the girl in his arms, he brought her upstairs, to the bed, deliberately leaving the annoying clown already complaining inside the white and pink coffin Dalia claimed as hers.
He didn't hide his self-satisfied smirk. Stupid clown.
He put the human girl on the bed. As she dazedly looked around, he quickly got into his pajamas, the ones his cute assistant made for him.
It filled his old heart with an unexpected warmth, looking at everything she made for him.
Sitting on the bed, he heard the demon hound move a little in its spot. Dalia had probably taken it to bed a while ago.
He pouted. That mutt better not decide to wake up.
His pout went away rather quickly, though, when he noticed a pair of arms snaking around his neck from behind. A soft, warm pair of lips started trailing kisses up his neck and to his ear.
He shuddered in pleasure.
Alright... he had to stop her from getting any ideas. Although, he wouldn't mind carrying on another day, when she wasn't drunk...
Why had he made her drink, again? The more he thought, the worse idea it seemed.
He did that a lot, when it came to her. He made quite a few rash decisions, when she was involved.
She interfered in his normally wise decision-making, leaving him an irrational mess.
Like that promise with the dolls. While he hadn't technically promised anything... Dalia thought he had implied it. And he didn't really want to lie to his little Lia... even if he didn't really want to stop with his dolls.
He knew that his dolls were little more than animals, beings without self. He would never turn his important people into that, as beautiful as they were.
If he ever had to choose between his important people and his dolls, there wasn't a choice at all. He had already chosen a long time ago.
The only thing that annoyed him a bit about that situation, was the fact his little Lia had apparently decided to understand the meaning that she liked the best, which was... very foolish to do, and if he didn't care for her as much as he did, he would have let her realize her mistake on her own.
He did regret not trying to reach a middle ground, though. She might not see his dolls' beauty, yet, but that didn't mean they couldn't be useful. And... he did want to continue his research without risking breaking his not-quite-promise.
He would talk to her. Later.
He understood that there were things that couldn't be gained back, once lost.
Like a life. No matter whose life it was, life was precious and irreplaceable.
And so was a lady's trust.
He didn't want to lose that.
The arms around his torso lowered to his abdomen, tickling him with her fingertips and dragging him out of his thoughts.
He would probably have exploded into a fit of laughter, if the Cookie-dog hadn't decided to interrupt.
...By launching itself into his currently drunk assistant.
Apparently, the dog had woken up and realized no one else was actually even trying to sleep, and decided to correct that mistake.
The human fell without any resistance, letting the dog-cookie lick her face clean without barely twitching.
He nudged the dog aside and away from his little assistant, taking his usual place in the bed.
His little Lia didn't even stir.
A closer look proved she was already out. Her peaceful face covered by saliva was particularly tempting.
He hugged her warm body, smiling softly at the absolutely adorable human he had fallen for.
"Cookies..." she mumbled.
He smiled.
The next day I was woken with the most terrible headache in the history of forever.
"Wha-rghh" I had attempted to talk, but my throat felt dry as sandpaper, and right now, I would do anything for a glass of water.
I was offered tea. I blinked at the tea in the floating beaker, dazed.
A closer inspection revealed that the beaker wasn't floating, it was being held up by a hand.
...
Following the trail of the hand upwards, revealed a very familiar face, framed with silver hair.
"Hey..." I mumbled, exhausted.
"Hi hi~ still up to doing 'naughty things in bed' with me~?" The reaper was smirking, playfully moving his pale eyebrows. How did he do that?
I blinked, actually listening to his words. Did I say that...? The words did sound vaguely familiar...
"Taker..." I have no idea what I had wanted to say, but I was unable to finish my sentence, as the reaper seemed to read my mind better than I.
"Poor little Lia~..." Undertaker hugged me, silently apologizing. "Drink this, it will make you feel better" he offered me the tea in his hand. I took it, slowly sipping on it. The tea tasted... funny. Not like tea at all. But I drank anyways, I was thirsty.
"You made this...?" I softly asked, when I felt more confident my voice wouldn't crack.
"Hi hi~ I have some knowledge about these things~" the reaper explained.
I sat on the bed, drinking the not-tea from the beaker. Finishing all the contents of the beaker, I tiredly rested my head on Undertaker's shoulder, who was sitting next to me on the side of bed.
I got my forehead kissed. It felt nice... being fussed over.
I'm not sure what I did last night, but I wouldn't mind doing it more often, if it makes Undertaker act like this.
Now again, considering Undertaker's words about "doing naughty things in bed" with him, it was probably for the best that I didn't remember. Better avoid a repeat of this.
I yawned.
Burying my face against Undertaker, I wondered if we really needed to open shop, today. We could just spend the whole day cuddling...
That was a really seductive option.
...
"Do we really have to open shop...?"
"A lot of people freeze on the streets these days~ it wouldn't do to find our little shop closed, right~?" He attempted to convince me.
I whined. He was right. That didn't mean I had to like it.
I wiggled deeper into the sheets covering me. Hiding from the world. I'm not ready to face the world like an adult.
Call again later.
Undertaker, bless his heart, didn't drag me out of the covers, instead, he went downstairs to put the used beaker away... and to bring cookies to persuade me into getting out of bed.
Aww... how sweet.
Getting up, I drowsily put on my normal clothes, hissing at the light coming from the window and munching on a cookie I had been offered.
My poor head...
Thankfully, the shop was dark and quiet.
I think I just discovered why some days Undertaker gets especially concerned with the "atmosphere of the shop". Although, I can't say I blame him.
...
Undertaker had to leave for an errand, leaving me in charge of the shop. Thankfully, we weren't really expecting a lot of people. The day was slow, and I got a chance to rest my poor head. The not-tea had definitely helped.
In fact, Undertaker left another beaker full of tea to drink from if I felt like it. Which I was currently doing. Apparently, when it came to tea, the reaper was quick in replacing the kettle... but not the teacups, nor anything else... dork.
Suddenly, the door of the shop opened, being immediately closed by a frantic reaper.
Surprisingly, it wasn't the reaper I had expected.
Mr. Dimwit just entered the shop, blond hair looking ruffled, with a completely red face and wide eyes.
"What happened...?" Was the disbelieving question heard, after a few beats of silence.
Surprisingly, he had been the one to ask that ask that, not me.
Seeing as he himself didn't have an answer, I don't know how I could possibly help any.
I drank another sip of tea, blankly looking at the intruder. I'm too hungover to deal with this.
"Your skill [Impervous] has leveled up by one!"
Oh, hey. I had been looking for a way to level up this...
Right then, the shop door opened again, and a familiar white haired reaper came in, making Mr. Dimwit dazedly move aside.
I raised an eyebrow as I took another sip of tea, surprised.
Mr. Dimwit wasn't attacking Undertaker? Something really strange must have happened, then.
"Hi hi hi~ who do we have here~? Hi hi hi~ If it isn't Mr. Naughty~, hi hi~, Mr. Casanova~, Mr.-" Undertaker was playfully teasing the blond reaper with his words, although I'm not sure what all that is about.
"It was an accident! Please don't tattle on me! Do you know the report I would have to make? I'msorrypleaseIswearIwillleaveyoualoneforever!"
I looked between the two reapers, one smug with a knowing smirk, the other a step away from groveling.
"What happened...?" I wondered aloud, mumbling as I took another sip.
"Nothing!" Mr. Dimwit quickly spat, whirling in my direction. The wide, confused eyes of the blond, stupid reaper shot straight to my heart, making me feel sorry for him.
"Oh~? Nothing much really~" Undertaker casually started. "... remember Mrs. Bloomers?"
Eh... Yes. How could I ever forget her? She wasn't very nice, I had returned her bloomers to her... and in exchange I got a very strange and quick lesson on... not talking about undergarments... or something.
I nodded, as Mr. Dimwit cried in dismay.
Undertaker walked closer and, with an air of secrecy, he started stage-whispering to me, making sure Mr. Dimwit would definitely hear him.
"You wouldn't believe what I just saw~ ihi hi hi~ Mr. Dimwit, hi hi~ leaving through Mrs. Bloomers' window, clothes ruffled and lipstick on his mouth~" He sounded like a gossiping old witch, laughing from time to time, absolutely enjoying the dismayed face of the blond reaper. "Scandalous~!" He drawled out the word like he couldn't believe what the blond reaper did. I don't really get why that is any of our business.
Poor Mr. Dimwit, he looked like he himself was not sure about what happened. If anything, he looked scared.
I swatted Undertaker away.
"Leave poor Mr. Dimwit alone, you mean old man." I attempted to defend the blond.
"Hey! My name is Julius!" Said blond spat.
"But it was so amusing~" Undertaker drawled, looking from the other reaper to me, considering. "Mr. Dimwit looked so scared~ I had to tease him~ hi hi hi~"
"I have a name!" The man currently being ignored wailed.
"You're a very mean old man." I complained, trying to fight a smile. "You can't just laugh at other people's misfortune, even if it is Mr. Dimwit."
"Heeey!" The subject being discussed shouted, trying to gain our attention.
"But Mr. Dimwit has been annoying me so much~... Hi hi hi~ Don't I get to laugh a little at him~?" The old reaper got a very mean look in his eye, smirking. "I didn't do anything wrong~ hi hi~ Mr. Dimwit got in that mess all on his own~"
Mr. Dimwit cried, running away from the shop, completely red-faced.
"Do you think that was mean of us? To tease him like that...?" I asked, feeling a little bit guilty.
"Hi hi hi~ That, Dalia dearest, is what I like to call comeuppance~" was the reaper's response.
...
"No." I denied. "That's just you being a cranky old man."
New Year passed by without any remarkable happenings.
Undertaker's mood had stabilized, settling for his usual goofy self, so long as the decreased family wasn't mentioned.
If we ignored the fact that Undertaker was absolutely unbearable, when it came to his cuddles, one could almost think that everything was slowly gravitating back to normal. The world was moving on.
"Dalia dearest~..." I glanced at the reaper. He was smiling, a red blush visible on his ears. "Do you want to go somewhere~?"
I looked at him, tilting my head to the side.
"Where?" Did we have somewhere we needed to go?
"Maybe the park~... or eat somewhere... although maybe not that... I like your food better..." he started mumbling to himself, tapping a nail on his lip, contemplating our options.
...
I blinked. Wait, was this a date?
I blushed bright red.
As if my own embarrassment was enough to wipe his own nervousness away, he smiled, hugging me and cooing at my red face, giggling like the old witch in disguise he was.
"I-I... I guess... I mean... ah... I... maybe? I mean..." I mumbled, embarrassed.
I closed my mouth, preventing myself from putting my foot further into my mouth.
The mortician started brushing his nose against mine, murmuring something about cuteness.
"Uh... so... What- what would we do...? I mean..." I trailed off, embarrassed.
Uh... this would be my first date... what do people do, on dates?
"Mhmm~... hi hi~ we can go and pet a cat~ or we can go walk through the park~... or I can tell you scary stories until midnight~" Wait, was that really a normal date activity? "... so you get scared and I can hold you tight~"
...
"Why do you need to scare me, to hug me? Can't you just hug me?" I questioned confusedly.
He made a sound in the back of his throat, hugging me and pressing his lips against mine. "You're so precious~! Hi hi~" He breathed against me.
I blushed red.
I had to breathe deeply, when I got my lips back. Undertaker's kisses always left me breathless and kind of dazed.
"Uh... Ah... so..." I stammered, dizzy.
"We can also go watch a play~" he kept suggesting. "or if you prefer, we can just make a picnic~"
I... I have never gone to a picnic. What does one have to bring, to a picnic? I'm guessing food, drink and a blanket, but... just that, or something more?
Oh. A basket, too. Of course.
"Ah..." I mumbled, still blushing.
But, what about Biscuit, then? We can't just go eat somewhere else without them. "Hum... the-... I mean... I guess... uh..." My cheeks were so red, that I feared my face would explode. "If it's alright with you..." I stammered, a red mess, unable to look at the reaper's face. "I would like to... I don't know... just walk by your side... It doesn't matter where we're going." I trailed off, knowing it was silly and a probably stupid idea.
The reaper blinked, but the surprised expression was quickly replaced by that face I was getting quite used to seeing on him.
That soft smile that always made my heart melt and turned my face scarlet without fail.
I put my hands in front of my face, hiding my blush.
I heard a chuckle, as a pair of arms softly enveloped my torso, bringing me closer to the owner of the arms.
My heart felt... warm... and full. I was... happy.
I pressed my face against the reaper's chest. That felt... very good.
What had I done, to deserve being so happy?
"We can go walk in the snow, then~" a hand started weaving through my hair. "And then I can burrow you under a pile of snow~" He suggested.
"That's dangerous. I could die from hypothermia." I mumbled from my place in the reaper's hold.
"And then I would cuddle you until you got your warmth back~" he kept talking.
"That's a bit difficult, considering you're always cold" I said, if only to be contrary.
"And then we can make hot pot~" He kept going on, ignoring me.
"Isn't that a Chinese food? I don't know how to make hot pot..." I worried, not sure where this was going.
"I can teach you~" he said. So he was listening to me.
"You're still forbidden from cooking" I quickly deadpanned.
"I'll tell you what to do, and you cook it, alright~?" He offered.
"I guess that's fine... how do you even know, how to make hot pot?" I asked, curious.
"And after we eat we can cuddle inside a coffin~" he went back to ignoring me. "...and we will kiss~..." at this his already wide smile widened even more, his cheeks blushing a deep pink. "...and if you want to, we can even do 'naughty things in bed'~... or a coffin~, wouldn't that be something~?" He wiggled in place almost giggling.
I blushed bright red.
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" I questioned, unable to keep my eyes on him for longer than a second.
"But I wanna do the naughty with you~" he protested teasingly, childishly moving his legs around.
"St-stop calling it that... you're mocking me..." I wailed, red faced.
"I would never~!" He made a mock offended face, giggling at my sullen face.
"Don't tease me..." I mumbled looking up at the reaper.
"Oh~?" He hummed, his face gaining a smug expression. "Would you prefer I call it se- oomph!" He wheezed, cut off.
"Nononono! I take it back! That's more embarrassing!" I quickly backtracked, frantically moving my arms around, which made me accidentally give Undertaker a good whack in his stomach. He didn't seem angry, but I apologized anyways.
I hadn't meant to actually hit him.
"Dalia..." Uh-oh... maybe he was angry, after all... "it's not embarrassing, to talk about these things with someone you care about~" he snickered, wiping a line of drool off of his face. "In fact, it's very important we talk about these things~"
I thought about it. He was right, as always.
I couldn't just keep shying away from the topic forever.
"Alright... then let's talk" I accepted.
"Now~?" The reaper blinked, without any specific expression on his face.
"Why not?" I questioned.
"Alright~" He agreed. "let's talk"
"..." I wait for him to start, not knowing what to say.
"..." He just stood there waiting for me.
"..." Seeing as he wasn't going to start, I tried to think what I was supposed to say, without much success.
"Delightful conversation, little Lia~. I have to say I'm impressed~" he finally sassed.
"I'm thinking, alright?!" I quickly answered, a bit frantic. "...Uh..." I pondered.
"It's alright little Lia~" The reaper finally said.
I looked up at him, he was smiling softly, his beautiful green eyes peeking between the locks of his hair.
"Hi hi hi~ Life is not perfect, dear. I can't promise you everything will be perfect, but just like our first kiss, which was absolutely horrendous..." he mused under his breath.
"Hey. I resent that" I attempted to defend myself.
"...with practice~... LOTS of practice~..." The reaper kept teasing me more and more.
"Now you're really pushing it" I monotoned, flatly glaring at the reaper.
"... we will make it ours." He finally concluded. "Does that sound acceptable to you?"
Ours...
"I... I would like that very much." I smiled, happy.
"Argh! My poor heart~! You're so cute~!" He tackled me to the ground, giggling and rubbing his cheek against mine.
I just blushed, not really minding the treatment.
I had been brushing and feeding Hercules, also known as the cutest donkey in existence, when an overexcited reaper ran out of the shop, all but screaming my name.
Is the shop burning? Did Biscuit eat someone? Did Tofu turn all his shoes into floating mustaches? Again?
Please don't let it be the last option. It was a real hell, convincing Tofu to turn the shoes back to their original form.
Hercules languidly raised his head to look at his approaching master, and away from my shoulder, where he had fallen asleep.
Isn't he a cutie?
"Dalia!" I heard someone call behind me.
I turned to the reaper, and was instantly enveloped in a hug. Once in his arms, Undertaker started twirling me around, my feet unable to touch the ground.
Uh... alright? Someone's happy. Very happy.
Stupid old man, he was using my smaller height to his advantage.
"Liaaaa~!" He giggled, a smile plastered on his face.
"What happened?" I asked, worried about this unexpected change of mood.
"Phantomhive!" He said this while smiling, which was... strange. That wouldn't be a topic that would cheer Undertaker up. At least not since... the accident.
"Uh..." how do I answer to this? Wasn't he supposed to be sad at the very mention of Vilvent?
"One of the Phantomhive twins has been seen in the hospital!" He explained, seeing my confused face. His mouth stopped smiling for a second, before returning to the previous position.
Wait weren't they dead?
...
Oh. My. Goodness.
I widened my eyes.
I jumped at the reaper. He was crying. But they weren't sad tears, at least most of them weren't.
I was so surprised that I didn't even know what to say, so I just hugged him.
"At least... at least... still have..." Undertaker had put his head in the crook of my neck, muttering something I couldn't completely make out. I could still feel the tears.
"Taker..." I was crying myself. I was elated. Sad, because apparently only one of the twins had survived, but happy, that at least someone had survived at all.
"We will make sure... that Vincent's kid lives a very long life. Wouldn't want them to end up like their father, huh~?" Undertaker was still sad, that Vilvent was dead.
But he wasn't the type to cry over spilled milk. And I agreed wholeheartedly with him. Vilvent may still be dead. But at least one of his sons is alive.
That just brings the topic of, how?
"How...?" I decided to ask the only person that may know, as he had been the one to tell me the news in the first place.
"I'm still looking into it. There's was a rumor of a pair of twins being sold the night of the fire, but at the time, I had been too unfocused to look too much into it. They were bought very quickly, and covered their tracks..." he mumbled, whispering something else under his breath. "...And I was looking into the wrong information..." I still heard it, as he was breathing next to my face, it was very hard to miss anything.
A pair of twins... "So the other twin... May be alive?" I hopefully asked.
Who was the twin at the hospital, then?
"I'm still looking at that... but from what I heard... there was a lot of dead people, the night that our little Phantomhive returned to us." He frowned at this, his mouth pulled slightly downwards.
...
Did he use his leverage over Mr. Dimwit to get that information? Because it sounds like it.
"Are we going to visit?" I really wanted to go visit the only remaining Phantomhive. Like... right now, to make sure he was okay, smother him in a hug, and maybe give him some cookies. He definitely needed them.
"Not right now~" he giggled at my excitement, which was quickly replaced with annoyance at what was said. I whined.
"Hi hi hi~ If I'm going to become a contact for yet another Phantomhive generation, there's a certain way to do things, little Lia~" he tried to explain himself, but I didn't really see the logic.
I grumbled. Stupid contacts. Stupid Underworld. Stupid Taker.
I hugged him again. Phantomhive was alive! It was only one of the twins... but it was something at least...
Poor kid... if he lost his brother... then he must be so lonely... and hurt... he just lost all of his family...
I cried against Undertaker, conflicted.
I was happy. I was sad. I was excited, regretful and devastated.
And, over all of that...
I felt hopeful. Like we just found a small meadow in the middle of a swamp.