You couldn't stop the giggle that left your breath at the very confused, even unsure look crossing Undertaker's face, but, with a light hearted grin, you opened the bedroom door, letting the man close it behind him as you let go of his hands and walked further into the guest room. You closed the curtains, hiding away most of the moonlight, before calmly, and perhaps too confidently, making your way to the bed, casually throwing off your coat onto a nearby chair and slipping off your shoes. "… Clara I'm not sure about this –"
"What are you thinking~?" you smirked rather deviously, waiting for a response, but when he gave you nothing you shrugged your shoulders, slipping off your shoes, socks, and belt, before calmly making your way over to him.
You could tell he was nervous. Very, very nervous. But you simply smirked, suddenly swiping his hat off of the top of his head, though it was a bit hard to do considering he's so much taller, compared to yourself. "I-if you need me to, I can sleep –"
"No. You can sleep in here," you told him, propping his top hat upon a dresser, before throwing aside the covers, suddenly crawling inside, and letting out a tired yawn as you placed your head upon the pillow. "… What? Aren't you going to join me?"
"… I don't think this is appropriate," he stated, simply, but you shrugged your shoulders, letting out another yawn as you rolled in the bed, giving him a light smile in reply.
"Does this matter? We've slept in the same bed, before… If you want me to leave, I'll go. I just… want to cuddle," you told him, slipping a hand underneath the plush pillow as you attempted to feel comfortable.
But you smirked triumphantly as he sighed, in defeat, before he began to slip out of his clothes. Your grinning turned into slight embarrassment as you watched the reaper take off his clothes, going very… very slowly, it seemed. First his outer robes, then his boots… and then… his inner robes… leaving the man bare chested, with a pair of black pants still around his waist. He stood there for a moment, as if he was showing off his body to you, or maybe because he was curious about your reaction, and apparently he got a reaction he was looking for as he chuckled in amusement as you covered parts of the sheets over your face, burying the front of your face into the pillow.
"Now, now~. Why are you so afraid~, hmmm~~?"
"Not afraid," you mumbled, feeling the mattress shift beside you, the bedsheets moving beside you, and you didn't shift your face away from the pillow until you felt a poke in your cheek, your eye peeking as the man grinned, poking playfully at your cheek with his long, black nail. "… Hmm?"
"Nothing more, then? Just… cuddling, you say," he asked, causing you to give him a curious look before you shifted in the sheets, rolling to your side so you could face him.
"Unless you want more," you decided to ask, but he chuckled lowly at your response.
"Maybe~… but no, not tonight."
"Then not tonight," you responded, rolling back over onto your backside as you sighed, staring up at the darkened ceiling as you gazed upward with a tired look on your face. "I sleep better when someone's beside me, anyways. Less likely to have nightmares."
"Hmm…" you heard him reply with a thoughtful hum, before you felt his arm suddenly wrapping around you, causing you to turn slightly to look at him with a curious gleam in your eyes.
"… Undertaker?"
"… Good night, love," he mumbled, already closing his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.
You just watched him, listening to his soft breathing, and knowing he wasn't actually asleep, yet. He was just faking it, obviously. Reapers do not breathe when they are actually asleeping. They're more like the dead then they are the living, in that way. When you first figured that out, you were terrified, but these days…
You smiled to yourself, rolling over and slumping your own arm around the Undertaker's waist, and you could feel his breath hitch, but you pretended that you didn't hear it. Instead, you let your eyes gaze at the man's pale face, looking at his facial scars… his long white eye lashes… and the fact that he doesn't actually have eyebrows… hmm…
But slowly, you closed your eyes, slumping your head into the warm pillow as you felt his breathing beside your face, as you drifted off into a content, peaceful… uninterrupted rest…
Until you heard someone calling out my name, from down the hallway, and before I knew it the door suddenly flew open. "Undertaker, did!... Oh." You sighed in an irritated tone, glancing over to notice Vincent was standing at the door, wide eyed, still in his pajamas.
"Whaaaaat~?" Undertaker groaned in response, letting out a tired yawn, but as you stirred more in the bedsheets, moving to get a better glance at Vincent's bright red blushing face, you couldn't help but smirk in amusement.
"… Why is Clara in your bed, Undertaker?"
"It's not what you think," you sighed as you began to shift up in the bed, only for the man's arm to pin you down, forcing you to let out an annoyed grunt, but Undertaker let a slight snicker leave his breath before he sighed, deeply, mainly out of irritation for being awoken so early.
"Vincent, boy, while your embarrassed face is hilarious," he began, your head moving to give Undertaker a curious look as he continued, while his other arm draped over his face as he tried to hold back the growl of irritation he wanted to make, rather then the tired sigh he actually made, "why don't you tell your little servants to stop looking for my Lara, hmm~?... I'll explain, later."
"Fine," you heard the grown ass man scoff as if he was a child being scolded for misbehaving, but you could tell this entire scene was unnerving him as he closed the door, just a bit more so no one could see this particular scene, before he continued, "now, tell me Clara, did you come here on your own accord or what?"
"Who do you think wanted to sleep here?" you responded, with a smirk playing upon your face, before you rolled over into the bed, letting your body get a bit more comfortable. "See you later, Vincent."
"… F-fine. Please, be ready before breakfast," he decided to say before leaving the room, closing the door behind him as he did.
You laid there, waiting for your headache to pass, before you yawned, loudly and without any restraint, before you noticed just want sort of position you were currently in. Apparently, at some point during the night, the man wrapped his arms around you, one around your waist while the other was slightly underneath the pillow you had your head on and beside your head, cradling your body against his chest while your back had been facing him. Now, though, you turned to face the Undertaker, eyes still drowsy, but mostly awake, now, as you watched the man breathing, his chest slowing rising… then falling… rising… falling… until he noticed that you were staring at him as he opened an eyelid to give you a curious look in return.
"Sorry," you decided to say, giving him a nervous smirk. "This must be embarrassing, for you."
"Not me, love," Undertaker responded, giving you a slight smirk in return before his tired gaze glanced you over, studying you for a moment, before he let out a deep, tired sigh. "… Perhaps we should get up."
"Perhaps," you responded, though the two of you made no moves to leave the bed. Instead, you scooted a tad closer to the man, slumping your head onto his chest as he let out a content sigh while he wrapped his arms around you, tightening his hold around you as you laid on his bare chest. "… You have a nice heartbeat."
"Do I?" he chuckled rather deeply, his strangely deep voice causing you to blush just slightly, but you simply sighed in response, closing your eyes as you heard the rapid thumping of his heart against his bare chest, and feel his chest rising and falling the more and more he breathed. "… Am I remembering correctly or is the Midford family supposed to arrive today?"
"Y-yeah… Vincent's sister, right?" you asked in a nervous tone of voice, causing the man to smirk as he patted the top of your head, before he ran his long nails through your unbound locks of hair. You couldn't stop yourself as you let out a light content groan as he scratched a particular part of your itchy head, your head tilting so he'd reach a very itchy spot, while he began to giggle lightly at your movements.
"You're like a cat."
"Suuure~" you scoffed, pausing for a moment as you felt his nails scratching your head, before you sighed, moving your head slightly, so you were looking up at the Undertaker with a tired pout on your face. "I suppose we need to wake up. Apparently, getting ready every damn day takes time," you scoffed, causing the man to snicker at your slight discomfort.
"Do you need my help~? –"
"No. I'll be fine," you stated, pausing once more to enjoy the warmth before slipping yourself out of the sheets, and groaning to yourself as you slipped out of the bed, stumbling and reaching for your coat, and quickly slipping it onto your shoulders. You didn't even bother to put on your shoes and socks, instead grabbing the rest of your belongings into your arms before you began to make your way over to the door. "See y'ah later, Undertaker."
"Of course, my lady," he grinned, causing you to look over your shoulder to give him a curious look, before you smirked slightly, giving him a shrug, and then leaving down the hallway.
You ignored the fact that the servants were obviously talking about 'the latest gossip' behind your back, and you ignored Vincent's questioning entirely as you walked right into your guest bedroom, setting your belongings down on a chair while the man followed you inside. "Don't you know how indecent this is – And could you not take off your clothes right now!? Clara!"
"Not my fault you barged in, and we weren't having sex. My god, are you this dense?" you huffed, ignoring his pleas completely, only to notice he was covering his face, blushing madly and growling to himself, and you turned to give him a slight smirk. "… Does it matter?"
"Shouldn't it? I don't know what you two are doing, but this is improper behavior of a woman, Clara! A-and –"
"Hey, look, if you're going to stand there like an idiot, at least help me tighten my corset," you scoffed, your words forcing the man to open his eyes to notice you already had your under garments on, including long black stockings, and he sighed deeply, knowing he honestly had no say in the matter as he walked over, grabbing your back laces, as you took a position next to the bedpost.
"… Then, did my wife's interference get into your minds?" he asked in a curious tone, causing you to grunt as he tugged at your laces, before you sighed and loosened your grip on the post, slightly.
"You could say that. I mean, she is a Phantomhive. Should I be surprised?" you responded, causing a light chuckle to leave his breath.
"Very true… I need to know," you heard him ask in a soft, almost hesitant tone of voice, and you glanced over your shoulder, giving him a curious look in return as he continued, "are you using the Undertaker in some sort of way? I mean, I didn't say anything to him, but all of this seems… sudden."
"I'd never use a kind man," you began, letting a scoff leave your breath as you turned away, preparing yourself for the man to tug at your strings, again, "and Undertaker has put up with me ever since I showed up… Actually, we could say this was a little experiment. I wanted to know if he'd agree to me sleeping in his bed, with him, or not. Don't you know just how introverted the man is? Heck, it takes a lot of effort to get any sort of reactions out of him… except laughter, I guess," you decided to say, flinching as you felt the man tightening up your corset, but then he tied the back, tucking in the ends of the lacing, and you sighed in relief before turning away and making your way over to your wardrobe. "… Do you think I should avoid him, or something?"
"Oh. No, no," Vincent quickly spoke, chuckling nervously as you gave him a suspicious glance, before you turned your head and sighed to yourself, fishing out a bluish and black dress, with silver embroidery on the chest piece. "… It's just that I worry. You've seemed like a reasonable woman, and I let my wifie do as she pleased, but… I cannot help but wonder if this should be happening. I mean, he's ancient! And you're only twenty. Surely the age difference is too much of a gap," he decided to say, and you gave him a curious look before you smirked, slipping on your skirt half and tying the ends, making sure everything was in place before you moved on to your upper chest.
"Don't you have old as balls nobles who marry young eligible ladies? Or the other way around? It's not that odd," you told him, pausing for a moment before huffing as you continued to get dressed. "Besides, the age difference isn't what bothers me."
"… The fact that you're human and he's death," Vincent stated, rather then asked, and you simply sighed deeply to yourself.
"Yes, that. Especially that. The grim reapers think differently then us, Vincent. They'll do things us humans would think are immoral, but… what is scary is the thought that I'd be leaving him alone, when I die," you told him, not bothering to give the earl a glance as you finished up with your clothing, making your way over to the vanity dresser to look at yourself in the mirror as you put up your hair into a more tidied bun compared to your usual updos. "They live for centuries and can be hung up on a past love that had been around centuries prior. Sometimes, they can't even move on. It's heart breaking to watch. I've watched it, okay? It can deteriorate a reaper to the point that they're an emotionless husk that doesn't do a damn thing. Doesn't even live. Just, exists.
"I didn't want to fall in love, only to have to die and break the man's heart. I-I know I may seem a bit rash and strange and such, and honestly I was willing to just stay single for the rest of my life, but… I-I don't know. Last night… we talked and… I'm giving him a chance," you decided to say, casting Vincent a meek smile before you continued, "but if this doesn't work out, I doubt I'll be doing any sort of… what, courtship I guess, ever again. I've spent too much energy on love/hate relationships. I'm tired of having to deal with people who cannot keep up with me. Who just see me as a damn object that needs to be protected behind glass, or some bloody saint that can save them, whenever they're in a jam.
"I suppose if you need to say anything to Undertaker about this conversation, at least tell him not to treat me like I'm going to crock and die in a moment's notice. Besides, he's a grim reaper, so he should have some idea when I'd be dying, and it ain't today," you scoffed, finishing your hairdo by grabbing a ribbon from your sea of ribbons, a black and blue stripped ribbon, and you tied it around your bun to make it stylish, but also to keep your bun from becoming too loose, before you turned to Vincent and gave him a tired look. "So… are you done here or are there more questions?"
"… I suppose I'm done, for now," he huffed, but you gave him a sly smirk before slowly standing to your feet and grabbing a pair of black gloves to put onto your hands.
"So you say. Now, maybe you should leave the room before someone thinks we're fooling around, hmmm~?" you smirked slyly at him, causing the earl to huff at your words, but then he gave you a slight smirk in return.
"Says the young lady already caught in another man's bedroom."
"I'm not bothered by it. Are you~?" you smirked back, causing the man to huff once more, before he gave you an irritated look, followed by a tired sigh. "… How are your boys, by the way? Is the youngest still bedridden?"
"So far, no, but don't push anything onto him. I'm sure the boy will want to play games, even if it means he has another episode."
"I'll keep that in mind," you chuckled, watching as Vincent left the room, and then you sighed to yourself, closing your eyes as you sat back down in front of the vanity mirror, thinking to yourself.
Last night was so spontaneous, but… do you still want this? Undertaker promised you a lot, but… he is a reaper… and maybe…
Breaking up with him now would be better for him, before you truly break his heart and suddenly drop dead.
You sighed. There's no easy solution to this, is there? You still have to work with him, and honestly, the idea of courtship instead of simply 'hanging out' or just dating is intriguing. You are wondering what the man will come up with…
But he also knows that yesterday was your birthday… You don't know if you should be happy or terrified that he knows.
You sighed once more. This is too much to think about, before coffee or tea. You need some caffeine before you stress yourself out, too much, and then you'll be the bedridden one.
! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !
A/N: HEY GUYS!
Well, this'll probably be the last chapter I post today. Maybe I'll post more tomorrow or on Tues? But, yeah. This is a good spot to pause the story. This 'Phantomhive arc' is only a few more chapters, and then we'll be heading back to Undertaker's shop.
If there's anything you want to see/read in particular, characters you'd like to see more of, do leave a COMMENT.
I'm hoping to start moving forward with the actual plot, with the story I originally want to write. Yep. This was all setting up to the actual plot. We'll be returning to the whole 'apocalypse' story. The time travel and what exactly happened. Why I've left certain things very, very vague. Though I may not be calling this a particular 'arc'. It may just be a new continuation… or maybe it'll become an arc? We'll see, but this 'Phantomhive arc' is kind of set apart from the plot I'm creating, so that's why I did that for this particular set of chapters.
We'll be exploring Clara's strange relationship between her reaper and human 'forms'. If they are called forms, personalities of herself, or just a different part of herself, honestly… I'm not even sure if I can describe it. But, we'll finally get to see what exactly has been 'locked' away… though, it'll take some time for her to truly show her true colors. The 'side of her she fears'. That sort of stuff.
And also~, I'm debating how I'll handle Undertaker/Clara's relationship, right now. If I'll have them jump into bed with each other, going much farther then just cuddling, or it's a gradual build up. I certainly know 'courtship' takes time, however, personally, I'm not the type of person to take so much time on a relationship, like that. And Undertaker is going to experience a side of Clara he hasn't seen, before. The real question is: how will he handle the new Clara? If he can accept everything.
There are some things I wanted to add, like an 'Easter' scene. That was chapters ago, if I was going to do that, but I wasn't ready to write that sort of stuff. I'm not far enough in the plot to do so. So, yeah. Maybe a Halloween special, though? Or a fall special, in the fall? Honestly, the year would have to pass into 1882 for me to get to that 'Easter special' I was thinking of doing… or even Christmas. I know some people do 'specials' in their stories, but since I'm going linear and I don't want to mess up the story too much, have the story go too quickly… things may just happen, when they do. Like Halloween. If I was going to have a 'special' for a particular holiday, in 1881, it'd be Halloween. Possibly Christmas… We'll see.
Anyways, that's where I'm at with this story. I decided to put this note at the end because it wasn't TOO important. But, I hope you guys are having a great weekend, and ENJOY your week!