Chapter Text
The night was shrouded in darkness, the only illumination coming from the faint glow of streetlights scattered across the empty roads. Ray stumbled out of the dimly lit bar, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol. His steps were unsteady as he fumbled for his car keys, the keys to a vehicle that would become a lethal weapon in his inebriated state. Sand watches from the veil. He is a reaper. And tonight, Ray is going to crash and die.
Sand guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife, he is not to interfere when someone’s time has come. There is, however, one caveat: A reaper may interfere if someone chooses to take their own life. But even then, there are gray areas. Should a reaper interfere if someone is giving their life to save another? If a terminal patient seeks medically assisted suicide? Or, if someone’s suicidal tendencies drive them to addiction, leading to the end of their life. A gray area indeed.
Sand watched as Ray fumbled with his keys, and made his decision. “Nope.” Sand snatched the keys from Ray’s hand.
“What the hell? Who are you? Where did you come from?”
“You are not driving tonight.”
“Piss off, I’ve done this a thousand times and ‘m fine.” Ray slurred, wobbling slightly on his feet.
“Not tonight you won’t be. Get in. I’m driving you home.”
“Who are you to-” Ray suddenly keels over and vomits.
Sand signs, “alright I guess we’ll do this the hard way.”
Sand picks Ray up and lays him down in the passenger's seat and begins to search Ray’s coat. Ray chuckles as Sand puts his hands all over him, “Oh, well if this is what you wanted, you should have just said so.” Sand finds his wallet. “Or is this a robbery?” Ray’s eyes begin to fall shut. Sand takes note of Ray’s address and climbs in the driver’s seat. As they drove through the quiet streets, the silence was only broken by Ray’s occasional mumbling.
—
Ray awoke to sunlight streaming in his window and a pounding headache. He groaned and fumbled his way downstairs to his home bar, reaching for the whiskey.
“Already?” a voice came from behind.
“Fuck,” Ray startled and turned to observe the stranger behind him. He was rough looking, but handsome. Not the sort he would usually go for. “Oh. Did we-?”
“No. I just drove you home.” Sand took the bottle from his hand. “Lay off this stuff. I don’t want to have to visit you again.”
“Oh please, you wouldn’t even know if I did.”
“I would.”
Ray scoffed, “What are you, some kind of guardian angel?”
“Worse.” Ray met those that spoke of eons, and a sense of understanding washed over him. "I'm a reaper. I guide souls to the afterlife. But last night, I had to step in. You were on a one-way trip to disaster."
Ray stared at Sand, a mixture of disbelief and awe coloring his expression. "A reaper? Like, the Grim Reaper? And you saved me?"
Sand nodded, "Yes, and it's not something I do often. There are rules, you know. But your situation was a gray area, and I chose to intervene."
Ray chuckled nervously, still trying to wrap his mind around the surreal nature of the conversation. "So, what, you're here to keep me in check? Make sure I don't drink myself to death?"
Sand's gaze was stern. "I'm here to remind you that life is precious, and your choices matter. You were given a second chance. Don't waste it."
As Ray pondered Sand's words, he noticed the reaper eyeing the whiskey bottle in his hand. "You know, you should really find healthier ways to cope," Sand remarked, setting the bottle aside.
Ray scoffed, “Who are you to judge? You don’t know anything about being alive.”
“I’ve existed for thousands of years. I’ve seen plenty of life.”
“But you’ve never experienced it.” Ray countered. Ray paused, thinking. “What do you say we make a deal?”
Sand cocked an eyebrow, “What sort of a deal?”
“Have you ever had sex?”
Sand snorted, “Not many wish to lie with the spectre of death.”
“A shame, you are surprisingly good looking.”
“Would you prefer I be a skeleton with a black robe and a scythe?”
Ray chuckled, “maybe later. Here’s the deal: I’ll lay off the alcohol if you have sex with me. You won’t have to worry about me offing myself and be able to experience humanity, and I’ll get pleasure and the ultimate bragging rights. What do you say?”
“That’s the price for your life? Sex?” Ray nods. “Then I agree.”