riverview | video | un: undertaker

[That second glass seems like it should do the trick, and he's watching the Earl closely, closer than before, if it's even possible. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't sure of Vincent's tolerance, but he does know it's strong enough to hit faster than it might seem.]

I do sympathize, my lord, and I will be there right with you [Or in front of him.] if those individuals need protecting. [He lifts a finger and points, right at the Earl's chest.] But you misunderstand. I refer to you in that.

(The kitchen...blurs. He reaches out to catch himself against the counter, staying upright through sheer stubborn willpower.}

Me? You wish to protect me? {The idea makes him feel warmer, somehow. Happier. He grins and tips his head, dark strands falling over his eyes.} I was referring to you as well. I will protect you.

[Oh, that did hit the Earl fast. He chuckles and moves to cap the bottle again to cut Vincent off in case he thought about going for round three.]

[It won't help the pain still, but he'll crack his wall, just a little, to see that smile again.]

You and your son are all I have left in this world. You've got my protection as long as you want or need it. But for now, my lord, I think your bed is calling. [He offers out a hand and curls his fingers to gesture for Vincent to take it.] Come. I'll get you to bed and make sure you're good and rested and have a glass of water waiting when you wake.

[It seemed like he was to be guardian to both father and son. No surprise to him, he was okay with that.]

{It has been some time since he last drank! Oh he had a glass of wine or champagne here or there and sometimes brandy, but nothing like Undertaker's whiskey! He feels his cheeks flush, but he laughs off his embarrassment.

That is until he hears what the other man has to say. His grin softens and he grasps onto the offered hand without hesitation.}

You have us for good or ill, my friend. I knew the first time we met that you were meant to be with us.

{His words come a little too easily and they are even more unfiltered than usual. He follows Undertaker's lead, stumbling a few times along the way.}

I thought you were one of those only I could see.

[Had it not been for the circumstances and the reason for needing the drink, Undertaker might be more amused at this than he is, which isn't saying much and isn't much at all. Vincent must have been suffering terribly to have lost so much sleep and he'd not noticed it. He hasn't been watching closely enough.]

[He'll amend that now. They're very careful on their way up the stairs, and he's mindful of the man's footing to keep him from ending up face first on the floor.]

I'll take the good and the ill. [That comment, that gets a curious look from him, but it's not surprising, not entirely. Vincent is a smart man. He would have noticed that Undertaker hadn't aged all his life, but he must ask, if only to keep the man engaged until they make it to the bed.] What makes you say that, milord?

{He has pretended to sleep and he is good at keeping his nightmares quiet. When he wakes in a cold sweat, he is able to stay still and comfort himself - as much as he can anyway. Then in the morning, he acts like all is normal.

Sleep can only be missed for so long. Vincent concentrates on each step, his grip tightening on Undertaker's hand until they reach the second floor.}

You must expect equal amounts of both with the Phantomhives. {He blinks at the question, finding it comical.} I have seen men in suits on cases for Her Majesty a bit too much. I thought they were hers, at first, but others did not seem to notice them.

[The death grip on his hand isn't missed, though he doesn't complain. His patience has no end as they make their way up to level ground again, then just across a short hall and to the bedroom.]

Indeed, I do. One wouldn't be without the other. [He spares the man a glance at the confession, brows raised behind his bangs. That Vincent could see grim reapers wasn't new to him. That he had seemed to see so many was. He thought it might be something that came and went.] There are some things that people are not meant to see. How often had you seen them?

{Better a death grip than a face-plant! Vincent relents when they are in the hallway, moving closer to Undertaker's back.}

Life cannot be any other way. {He cocks his head with care, considering how frequently he spied the strange men.} I saw them most on cases that needed your touch.

{i.e. dead bodies were involved.}

I'd say every other case, at least. The Queen's justice is swift. {If she wants the matter silenced, Vincent saw to it.} But I saw them before I became Earl too.

Edited 2017-12-01 10:16 (UTC)

[Once in the room, things get even easier on the Earl. Undertaker leaves him standing alone by the bed for just a moment, long enough to tug the blankets down.]

You certainly did. [He pats the edge of the bed, inviting Vincent to sit or lie down, whichever he wants.] There exists a world after death, one most people won't ever see. They go on about their lives, they die, then they go to wherever they're meant to go after that. It's much like a business of its own, making sure souls get from the body to the right place. Those were the people you saw.

[No sense hiding it from him anymore, now that they're here.] They're called grim reapers. You know the term, I believe.

{He won't be complaining. With the bed turned down, he clumsily toes off his shoes and loosens his collar. He has no qualms about laying down - it keeps the room steadier - but he watches Undertaker curiously, riveted despite his impaired senses. Maybe sleep can wait...a little longer.}

Grim...Reapers? You sound serious. {But it's a lot to understand.} How do you know about them? Do they visit the funeral home?

{A yawn interrupts his thoughts and he wrinkles his nose.}

I saw them around Mother...

Edited 2017-12-02 01:41 (UTC)

[Once Vincent is in bed, he pulls the blankets back up again, draping them over the man up to his chest. That done, he sits himself on the edge, debating what he should say, how much he should say, especially in light of that yawn.]

Perhaps this should wait for a time when you're a little more sober, but yes, I am serious. What should I confess to you, I wonder?

{Sleepily, he grabs onto Undertaker's hand once the man is sitting nearby. His mind wants to understand, but slumber is calling, reaching up to pull him down.}

It's your fault I'm not. {He manages to sound petulant even though he is actually grateful.} Only what feels right. I'm destined to move on as you say. Maybe I will see a Grim Reaper?

[He won't resist but for a moment taken to remove his own shoes before he rolls himself on top of the sheets and stretches out on his side beside Vincent on the mattress.]

Oh, milord, it is very much my fault you're not sober. I made the offer and gave you the liquor, but I don't regret it. Whatever helps you sleep. [He nestles in, curling his arms in one against him, one under his head, watching the Earl quietly.]

You already have seen one. Several, even.

{Vincent rolls onto his side so he is facing Undertaker, his head cushioned against the pillow.}

I don't regret it either. {His eyelids droop against his will and he decides that, oddly, he trusts this man with his life as much as he trusted him with his death.} Mm but I haven't spoken to them, I don't think? I have always wanted to.

[His smile only softens when Vincent faces him. Rather than reach up to brush the hair out of his face, he reaches to smooth the blanket over his side as an excuse to touch him. There hasn't been enough alcohol imbibed tonight to ensure that the Earl won't remember this, but he's still tempted. Vincent needs to know; if he doesn't know now, he will eventually, and there will be no chance now for him to tell the man if and when they return home.]

What would you think if I told you you had already spoken to one, someone you've known for some time?

{A faint light surfaces in Vincent's dark eyes and he can't help asking:}

Who? {Could it be - ? His eyebrows rise in wonder and confusion. What has he - or his family - done to earn the aid of a true Grim Reaper? He must be wrong.

Besides, if Undertaker is a Grim Reaper, what does it mean that Vincent can see and speak to him so easily? He isn't a stranger to death, but... Does it mean his family is cursed to always die young?

His thoughts fly immediately to Ciel.} Undertaker, are you - ?

[Well, now it's too late to take it back. His smile widens and he reaches up to brush his bangs back, making no effort to hide his eyes.]

Please don't let it alarm you, my lord. I've been a grim reaper for some six hundred years, give or take a few decades. We don't all choose to reveal ourselves to humans, but this unnatural green in our eyes gives us away. Every time you've seen this color in someone's eyes, you'll know what they are, if or not they want you to see them.

{He lifts up a little bit, peering into Undertaker's eyes in wonder.} ...what a pretty color. {He has some memory of...that hue. A flash of phosphorescent green and then a deep, comforting darkness.}

I am not alarmed. {Well he is, but he is smiling too. Yet the expression fades when he sees the scarring. What has his friend endured?} Does he know?

{Ciel of course.}

I don't understand why you aid the Phantomhives. You do not like the Queen. I can only imagine what you have seen and felt...

[He allows Vincent's examination of his eyes, leaving himself open to anything the man would want or need to know, even with the alcohol in his system. But he had said he wasn't alarmed, and that was the greatest relief of all, second only to seeing the man free of his agony from before, however briefly it might last.]

Oh, yes. He knew long before you did. I hadn't meant him to know, but he found out by accident.

[He shifted, nestling a little closer.] That is a little complicated, I'm afraid. I am what I am and I can't escape that, but it's... Think of it as a form of employment, this grim reaper business. I sort of... quit, you could say. Went on my own. Your family allowed me to stay close to death while staying away from it.

{He has a deep appreciation of color - especially when it is vibrant. Undertaker's eyes are unapologetically - and glowingly - green. How can he not like them?

But he also has to admit that he likes his company too. Grim Reaper or not, that hasn't changed.}

So he can see them too? {Not just Undertaker, but the others. They must be countless.} Will you see that they don't take him prematurely? I don't know what can be done, but I worry. I suppose that is all fathers can do sometimes.

{Vincent reaches out and lays an arm across the other man's waist, welcoming him to rest beside him.}

Strict employment, I would guess. Leaving couldn't have been easy. We have plenty of customers for you, at least.

Edited 2017-12-02 04:19 (UTC)

[Inside himself, he's thrilled that Vincent is taking this so well. It's hard to say if it's the man's nature or the alcohol or both. Regardless, he squirms himself a little closer and returns the gesture, putting his arm over Vincent's shoulder, curling his hand so he can scritch his nails lightly over his shirt, the same way he had done for Ciel.]

[And in that, his smile softens, from muted regret.]

You're not wrong to worry. Life will end for everyone one day, but I will do what I can to make sure it doesn't end for him sooner than it has to. I haven't followed your lineage this long to see it all end as you did. [He can't help himself. The hand scritching Vincent moves up to brush the hair out of the Earl's face, not sure how he would take it, so he returns it to its comforts shortly after. The grim reaper academy had done its best to take emotion out of him, but they had all once been human. There were parts of them that even strict training couldn't remove from him, including the love for his own son.]

They did try their best, but I've been around too long for them to tell me what to do anymore.

Edited 2017-12-02 04:32 (UTC)

{The alcohol has calmed him and made him the tiniest bit tipsy, but no, acceptance is a big part of his personality. Especially when said acceptance benefits him. ~~What? He is a greedy, grasping human!~~

The nails are a nice touch - and useful too! - he decides. He relaxes back against the pillow, sighing.}

You have my undying gratitude. I'd rather it not end so...messily. It really is a shame I can't get a second shot at it all. {He wouldn't need a demon to sever the jugular veins of those responsible. It's all an ornate game, really, and he would hold the upper hand after cheating death. Or is it cheating Grim Reapers? Ah well. He can dream.

His thoughts scatter at the soft touch and he closes his eyes.} Good for you. I think we listen to far too many. I admire independence.

Edited 2017-12-02 05:45 (UTC)

[Now that he knew he hadn't managed to push Vincent away, nothing would change. That had been his only real concern in revealing that part of his identity to the man. They could go about their lives as if nothing had happened. Gratitude aside, although he was glad to have it, still made no difference. Vincent was always the Earl, always would be, and he just an assistant, a tool to use to make things happen.]

[It was the one place in any world that he would let himself be used as such, and when Ciel decided he wanted to do the same, he would have Undertaker's skills at his disposal as well.]

Maybe not in our world, but you do have a second shot at it here, milord. You are alive again and your son is here with us, even if others are not. Think on that as you rest, and know that I am here to look after both of you.

[He can see those nails working on the Earl and he lets his touch roam a little further over Vincent's back, going from shoulder to shoulder.]

{An assistant he might be, a tool sometimes depending on the task, but, above all, Undertaker is a friend. Vincent has only a handful of true friends - each one chosen with care based on their personality and/or skills. A man in his business cannot risk anything more. But he prefers it to be a small number anyway. The world can tell you what you want and use you. Vincent has no time for false flattery or to be a weapon in anyone's hand but the Queen's.

Sometimes he even wonders whether keeping close ties with her is intelligent. But the Watch-Dog must do as he is bidden and not complain. Much like how a Grim Reaper must do as he is bidden and not complain. Funny how father and son have reached the same conclusion about authority in general.}

I am glad to have him and you. {He brushes back some of the silver hair with his fingers, shifting closer.} I'd like to see what you can do...someday.

{His voice gets quieter and his eyes fall shut. The subject intrigues him greatly and he wishes to know more about Grim Reapers, but he is over-tired and his body wins the fight.}

[It isn't lost on him that this is the first and only time he has ever held his son. The moment shakes him to his core and finds himself glad that Vincent is finally losing the fight to sleep. It's getting harder and harder to maintain that smile or the tears threatening to break free, but he manages it. He isn't completely human anymore, but right then and there, he feels closer to his humanity than he has since the funeral.]

Shhh, my lord. You may, one day. For now, sleep.

[He lets those fingers continue to work on the man and, once he is sure Vincent is well and truly asleep, he allows tears to fall and presses a kiss to the Earl's forehead. It's all short lived. He can't let himself get that emotional, though part of him desperately wants to. It would ruin poor Vincent's sleep if he did, but he will let himself lie there and close his own eyes and slip off into a nap. Vincent wanted him there, so he would stay.]

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