An Act of Death [William T. Spears x Reader]

04 Lecture

His glasses were in the way.

Two bodies, desperate for closeness. Every inch they touched was heaven and every inch they didn't was hell, yet combined it created a place she hoped to bask in forever. Expert fingers worked through her hair, and warm lips pressed to her forehead. But this time, it wasn't a mere show of fondness or adoration; it was a display of desire and of possession. Long past were the days of being the timid, meek child. At this moment, in this world, she belonged to him in body and in mind...

______ woke to a start. Her hand flew to touch the base of her neck, the skin hot to the touch. Her breathing was elevated, her heart was pounding, and upon realization of just who she'd been dreaming about, she fell back to her pillow. 'This… is a problem. I have a problem.'

After all, it was the sort of dream that had been plaguing her for weeks, now, ever since Valentine's Day. It was pathetic, she knew, to be so affected by a mere kiss on the forehead, but if she was honest with herself, it was the first time in her life anyone other than her late brother had been so close.

The sound of a harsh shrill made her jolt for the second time that morning, and she struck the alarm clock silent. She groaned. What was the point of owning such an unholy device if she always woke just before it went off? Though admittedly, if it hadn’t snapped her out of her daze, ______ might’ve lay there forever in awe of her own perverse imagination. ‘This really is a problem.’

* * *

“I’m asking you to accompany me to the School later this afternoon. We are to welcome the latest class of recruits for the SDS Training Program and brief them on the responsibilities of the job.” William said first thing that morning.

“Me?” ______ asked stupidly, dread filling her at the mere idea. “I’m hardly the ideal image of an alumni… and I just graduated. Not to mention I’m--”

“You were the first female recruit to pass in England.” William said. “The superintendent of the school’s daughter will be attending this year; he asked for you specifically to serve as an example.”

“Do I have a choice in the matter?” She mumbled, feeling selfish and unmoved. But then something occurred to her. Because the vast majority of her class hadn’t passed the final exam, it was possible that the same jerks that taunted her last year might be back for round two. “Wait. Will a lot of my old classmates be there?”

“Yes. Many of them re-enrolled.”

“When are we leaving?”

“I had no idea you were so petty.” William said, adjusting his glasses. It was a behavior that was as routine as breathing for the man. “Honestly…”

“Don’t ‘Honestly...’ me!” ______ said, “I’m going, aren’t I?”

“If you’d said no, I would’ve made it an order.”

* * *

While she’d been fired up on the walk there, the moment ______ stepped into the school building for the first time in a few months, she gulped. Rather than feel like a superior graduate, she felt like a child, following closely behind William as he moved wordlessly to the lecture hall. He was extremely familiar with the school by now, accustomed to visiting frequently over the course of a year to instruct students on what was expected of them.

When they entered the lecture hall, the students were waiting. In the front rows were the students for the English branch, dressed in the traditional suit. Behind them were the students from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and even America, the uniforms differing slightly in accordance with the region they were attending for. While the other nations had a handful of female students, the English rows had only one. Appearing as meek and intimidated as she had the year before was the superintendent’s daughter that William mentioned. It was in this moment that ______ felt guilty for not immediately agreeing to come.