A little respite...
A short Death/Reader oneshot about birthday presents, mugs, and how a Horseman without a heart isn't necessarily heartless. Enjoy! <3 xxx
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Birthdays, Death supposes, carry far greater significance when one only has a finite number of years in one’s lifespan.
If there’s anything he’s grateful for, it’s that modern humans seem to have tailored their annual celebrations to smaller, intimate gatherings, which, in his opinion, are far more tasteful than the ostentatious and plethoric affairs those pharaohs used to throw. If the Horseman thought he’d have to wade through a veritable ocean of humans just to get to your front door…. Well. He certainly wouldn’t have been best pleased, to say the least.
Nestled within the cup of his palm and safely hidden from prying eyes is a small, unassuming parcel. It doesn’t look like much, deliberately so. The tiny thing is wrapped in some old parchment he had to pilfer from Azrael’s study. It was the first and only thing he could think of after he belatedly recalled how humans like to peel away a layer of paper before they can lay eyes on whatever has been pre-emptively hidden within it.
You became quite prickly once after he pointed out the aimlessness of the custom.
‘Some traditions,’ he begrudgingly yielded after several hours of trying to see past your cold-shoulder, ‘are better left undisputed.’
Trudging along the newly rebuilt street in the direction of your home, Death makes every conceivable effort to avoid the stares and shocked gasps from the few humans who are still milling about in the golden light of the evening.
Even after the Resurrection and the frequent comings and goings of the Horsemen, angels, makers and even the occasional demon, Humanity still hasn’t grown accustomed to seeing the Grim Reaper skulking about on their planet.
In the corner of an eye, he sees a man haul a small girl into his arms and scurry to the opposite side of the street, and it takes everything in the Horseman not to sigh.
It isn’t long before he finds himself turning onto the short, gravel path leading up to your front door. His footfalls make no sound on the loose stones, and the parcel is starting to carry weight in his palm now.
Coming to a halt on the step, his eyes drift down to the faded mat by his boots that reads ‘Welcome.’
The Horseman scoffs, as he does every time he sees it. Sometimes you’re too hospitable for your own good.
Giving his shaggy head of hair a bemused shake, he reaches for the doorknob, only to pause.
Another custom best left undisputed… Humans don’t like it if you enter their home unannounced.
Curling his hand into a fist, he instead gives the wood three, solid raps with his knuckles before letting his arm drop back to his side, briefly giving a thought to what it must seem like for an onlooker to witness the ancient Nephilim ceding to human habits.
With a grunt, he leans back on his haunches to wait, idly counting the cracks that have formed in the plaster surrounding your doorframe, each one betraying the frequency of visits made by his younger sister, Fury. It’s a wonder the entrance is still intact with how often she barges in and out, scuffing the paint and chipping off wooden flakes with her armoured shoulders.
Sometimes she forgets that while she might have the slightest build of the Horseman, she’s still unconventionally large from the average human’s point of view. Regardless, you haven’t said a word to her about the marks, as far as Death is aware, and somehow, he doubts you ever will.
His ears prick towards the sound of shoes trotting hurriedly across linoleum, approaching your front door.
“Coming! Coming!” your voice calls out, instantly shaking loose that little fragment of unease that sits between Death’s ribs every time he comes to your home and waits outside the door. There’s a private part of him, a part he’ll never reveal, that dreads the day he knocks without receiving an answer.
The handle rattles, a lock slides out of place, and once again, he hears you speaking from the other side of the wood.
“You guys are early!” you laugh, “I haven’t changed yet, but I’m-“
Your sentence trails off into silence as the door is tugged open and you poke your head into the light outside, brows scrunching together as your eyes fall upon a pale, cadaverous chest.
Blinking, you dart a look up, only to gasp at the sight of an all too familiar bone-mask tilting down towards you, inclined in acknowledgement.
“Death?” you gape, your expression falling open in shock.
Another oddity of humans, he finds. Even when you can clearly see what’s right in front of your nose, you still feel the need to ask for clarification, as though you can never fully trust what your eyes are seeing.
“In the flesh,” he says, gesturing up and down at his emaciated waist and sinewy chest, “I’m pleased you still recognise me, given our months apart.”
And it has been months. Six and three days, to be exact. Not that he’s counting.
It happens the moment he drops his arm back to his side. Like the sun rising over the peak of a dark mountain, your face bursts open with bright, glimmering warmth.
The corners of your mouth retreat from each other, spreading your lips into a grin so wide that your cheeks round out and squeeze your eyes halfway shut with unbridled delight as a laugh gushes out of you, bouncy and awestricken.
“Death!” Without warning, you bound across the threshold and - showing no hint of a reservation - throw your arms around the Horseman’s lean torso, burying your face into the concave dip below his chest, “Oh my god! I didn’t think I’d be seeing you today!”
And because he still hasn’t grown used to your displays of affection, Death forgets the etiquette and freezes in place, arms hovering rigidly above your own and his chin tucked into his neck, as though he’s mildly alarmed at your sudden proximity.
And because you know he isn’t used to affection, you don’t hold him hostage for long.
Pulling away only seconds later, you sweep a hand through your hair, clutching loosely at the strands as you take a step back and give the Horseman a quick once-over, beaming all the while.
“I can’t believe you actually made it! This is the best birthday ever!”
Well, if that isn’t the most flattering thing he’s heard all year.
“Oh! Would you like to come in?” you ramble on, stepping aside and sweeping your hand into the hallway behind you, “I’ve got people arriving for a party, but not for, like, another hour. So, you can stick around or…”
“Ah, regrettably, I can’t linger for long,” he interrupts, holding up a palm to quiet you. He truly can’t stay. And not just because he’s disinclined to ‘party.’
He’s heard whisperings of a demon uprising stirring in a city across the sea. He and War have made plans to travel there under the cover of darkness to investigate, and he’s already behind schedule. He notices that you make a considerable effort not to let your expression droop, though he can tell by the pinch of your lips that you’re disappointed.
He… hopes he can make it up to you with the tiny package hidden safely within his palm.
Clearing his throat, Death flexes his fingers, wrestling with doubts for a moment before he gives himself a mental kick and forces his hand out from behind his back, thrusting the parcel under your nose.
“Here,” he grunts as he gives it a gentle shake, willing you to take the damn thing rather than continue to blink down at it in surprise, “I understand gifts are customary on one’s… birthday, hm?”
… For a long time, you don’t say a word. You merely look at the Horseman’s palm as though he’s holding a live grenade, your eyes round and wide and uncertain. In fact, you remain silent for so long, that for once, Death is the one who feels compelled to explain himself.
“I… wrapped it,” he ventures, frowning behind his mask at the parcel, “… Although, I suppose it isn’t very good, is it.” Now that he's presented it to you, he's only just noticing how shoddy and rushed the job must look. In fact, he realises he must have stolen parchment that Azrael was in the middle of writing on, judging by the ink smudges that are only half hidden beneath the thin twine he used to bundle the whole thing together.
Mind racing, he scans your expression for tells, anything that’ll clue him in as to whether he’s made a mistake in bringing you something at all…
Perhaps… he was misinformed. It might be a grave insult to give a human something on their day of birth. Damn that half-wit brother of his, Strife. If he’s fed Death another lie to make him look foolish in front of you, why, he’ll-
A soft touch alights upon his palm.
Death’s gaze snaps down to see your tiny fingers curling tentatively over the parchment, and it takes a lot of concentration to keep his appendages from twitching as you slide the parcel out of his palm, brushing your thumb over his in the process.
“You… got me a present?” you ask gently, staring down at it before flicking your eyes up to peer at the Horseman from beneath your lashes.
Slowly, he retrieves his arm, giving it a shrug and sniffing, “It’s nothing particularly special.”
But you’re already pulling at the twine's lacklustre knot, delicately peeling away crinkled parchment to reveal the gift inside.
When you finally unfold all of the paper, a soft sound of wonder escapes your parted lips, and your face is illuminated in a soft, green glow.
It’s a flask. A tiny flask no larger than your thumb, cut from thick, crystalline glass and stoppered at the top with a chunk of cork. The flask itself has had a silver chain welded to the neck that glints in the sunlight as you bring it closer to your face to peer inside. Clinking around behind the glass, you spot a piece of shard, green as a summer field, glowing prettily like a captured firefly, small and dainty but luminous enough to cast its light through its crystal prison.
“I’m sure Muria could have made you something prettier,” the Horseman mumbles, “I’m no maker. But, I always did have a knack for crafting these talismans… You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to convince Fury to carry one…
“…Death…” you breathe.
“Yours is modified, of course," he ploughs ahead, clearing his throat, "Now, it won’t keep you safe indefinitely.” There's a pause, and you think you hear him mutter ‘yet’ under his breath before he continues, “But it will serve as a shield, of sorts. If you’re ever injured-“ Reaching out, he taps his nail against the glass. “- This will bear the worst of the damage. So long as you wear it, your skin will be harder to break. Your bones will only splinter where they might have shattered. You will be, in a word, protected.”
You can’t reply for a moment, your throat is too clogged with things you don’t know how to say.
You know this talisman. You know it because you’ve seen the one Fury keeps tucked beneath the high neck of her cuirass. She insists that Strife and War carry them too, though the brothers have yet to relinquish that secret to you just yet.
Nephilim’s Respite. It’s a protective trinket made by the eldest Horseman to safeguard his brothers and sister on their travels.
Death made them for his siblings. His family.
And now, here you are, holding the self same talisman in your hand.
You try to maintain your composure. You really do try. But when you blink, you’re slightly dismayed to find your vision blurring and a warm dampness tickling your lower eyelashes.
“Ah,” Death utters, drawing his head back to regard your gathering tears, “You’re crying. That… wasn’t my intention.”
A watery laugh tumbles out of your mouth, and you raise your unoccupied hand to sweep a wrist across your eyelids. “It’s oka-“ you start to sniff, though the Horseman jumps in before you can finish the thought.
“If the gift isn’t to your liking,” he concedes, reaching out to take the talisman back, “I can always-“
“-No!” Clutching the gift defensively to your chest, you throw Death a scandalised look, tears trickling lazily towards your chin, “It’s perfect, it’s just – it’s so much, Death! My god, I got you a mug for Christmas!"
And a fine mug it is, he reflects. Bone china, a yellow warning label with 'Warning, prone to sarcasm' scrawled across its surface in thick, black lettering.
It's one of his most preciously guarded items. He almost fed War's remaining arm to Harvester when the younger Horseman knocked it off his table.
But... you're fretting, and his reminiscing of the the humorous crockery will have to wait.
"You... accept the gift, then?" he asks, halfway convinced your eyes are misted over because he'd committed a faux-pas he isn't aware of.
There are times when Death wonders if you must think him quite dense. Such as now, for example. Short of throwing your hands above your head, you positively erupt in exasperation as you exclaim, "Wh-! Of course I do! This is the kindest thing anyone's done for me in my life!"
"Kinder than saving said life?" he quips, "Repeatedly?"
You only shoot him a wide, watery grin in response. Tossing the parchment over your shoulder, you hurry to slip the silver chain around your neck, clutching the flask delicately in a palm and thumbing the glass with fond, gentle strokes.
"I'm never taking this off," you murmur around a beaming smile.
Grunting, the Horseman folds his arms across his chest and replies, "See that you don't. With how attractive you are to trouble and disaster, this is the most efficient way to ensure you are kept relatively safe when I... when one of us isn't around to keep an eye on you." Pausing, he quirks a thoughtful brow behind his mask and adds, "Well... I suppose I could always enlist Nathaniel to play human-sitter..."
Your bright, incredulous peal of laughter cuts him off, but before he can lament on how much different he is now for allowing himself to be interrupted by a human and feel no malice, you suddenly plant a hand on his chest, spreading warmth from the tips of your fingers straight through to the hollow cavity that used to house his heart.
Death's mask tips down, his golden eyes calm, but curious as they fold into yours, old and new, sharing a moment of vulnerability on the steps of your home.
"Thank you, Death," you tell him sincerely, but oh so softly, "I mean it. Thank you."
And then, as if the thanks alone isn't quite enough to break a chip off his unassailable walls, you rise onto the toes of your shoes, reaching a hand up to hook a finger beneath the chin of his mask and drawing his head down inch by inch. Death, taken wildly aback by the boldness of laying your hands on the Executioner's mask, forgets himself, and follows the tug of your will until-
A layer of solid bone may separate you from the Horseman's skin, yet he'd still swear he feels the tender press of a warm, guileless mouth against his own, just for a moment, then you withdraw almost as soon as you leaned in, releasing his chin and letting your arms flop back to your sides.
"Well," you say, voice a little pitched like you've caught yourself by surprise, "Again, um... Thank you..."
Slowly, Death draws back to his full height, resisting the sudden urge to press his fingertips to the space near the bottom of his mask.
"Don't suppose you've got time to come in for a cup of tea?" you blurt.
And if the Reaper's thin, pale lips twitch up at their corners unbidden... Well... There's a reason he decided to keep his mask, after all.
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everyone's album covers, song previews and album trailer voicelines!
YESSSSSSSSSSSS I'M FINALLY DONE WITH ALL OF THEM *falls on the floor*
okay okay i'm actually kinda proud of myself?? :'D like i always prefer just. drawing characters even though i don't really avoid drawing backgrounds and i don't find drawing them that difficult but i rarely pay attention to things like. doors so yeah it's kinda cool that i've managed to come up with ten different door designs and draw them! even though most of them don't even look like doors. it's okay listen i just wanted to make them as weird as their mvs okay
(also about some prisoners having the symbols on their uhhh restraints and most of them not having them. well you see i just didn't have any energy left to draw them so i was like "it's fine i'll just draw the actual symbols later" and guess what. i didn't :) and i'm too tired to draw all of them so y-yeah. honestly maybe i'll change the symbols to something else like it takes way too much time to draw them and they're not even that close to the canon ones)
okay sorry for rambling, you can read everyone's song previews, titles (though you can see them on the covers, but still. or maybe you can't see them i'm sorry if the text is hard to read 😭) and album trailer voicelines under the cut! and also more of my rambling
Album trailer voicelines:
Akio: "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"
Aimi: "Don't you think that's kind of.. unprofessional?"
Shun: "I-Isn't it a good thing that I'm getting better?"
Naomi: "But in the end, I've simply decided to agree with you."
Kei: "It's time for your punishment, Eiji~"
Eiko: "It's like.. your life finally has a purpose."
Asahi: "I wanna go home, even if I don't have one anymore."
Yurika: "THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY FUCKING SENSE!"
Riku: "Haha, trust me, I'm strong enough to do that."
Reina: "So, yeah, the show's over."
Song titles:
Akio: The King's Execution
Aimi: Mask of Kindness
Shun: Wrong Route
Naomi: Your Story
Kei: Web of Desire
Eiko: As Seen On TV
Asahi: 'Cause I Deserve It
Yurika: Bitter Aftertaste
Riku: Trendsetter
Reina: Death of the Author
Song previews:
Akio: "Come on, fight me, punch me, beat me to death,
Show me how you've really felt about me all this time
There's no one left to support me, no one left to call me "Your Majesty"
I guess it's time for me to admit my defeat"
Aimi:
"Let's have as much fun as we can today, like this is the last day of our lives
I won't ask you to be careful, I know you won't listen to me anyway
Let's make these moments more colorful than ever before
Let's turn today into our best masterpiece"
Shun:
"I know that this is the best option, I don't even need a guide
"Real life"? What's that? Some kind of joke?
I know you will love me in every world and universe
Tell me I'm your everything, let me get the best ending"
Naomi:
"I can't believe I found out about this only now
Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't anyone else tell me about this?
Your life was so short, but so full of pain
Does this mean that I've saved you from all that suffering?"
Kei:
"Congrats, you've fallen right into my trap
Make yourself comfortable, you're in for a long ride
Tying you up, choking and biting
Keep your eyes on me, take those rose-colored glasses off"
Eiko:
"Yay, she did it, good for her! What an icon, am I right?
Haha, thank you, thank you! Serves him right, I know
You've forgiven me, darling, so let me thank you properly
Tell me what you want, I will give you everything and more"
Asahi:
"Give me more, you know that it'll never be enough for me
You want me to repay you? That's funny
Why should you give me so much and get nothing in return?
It's obvious, 'cause I deserve it"
Yurika:
"Please, please, make my world sweet again
This world is so cold, so bitter, if I take a bite, I'll get poisoned for sure
Hey, hey, what are you saying? You want more sugar as well?
Sure, anything for my master! But you're not her, so get out."
Riku:
"Now, listen, I don't like to do this
I'm not the type to abuse my power
But looks like it's time for you to get what you deserve
So get him, everyone, I'll pat you on the head later"
Reina:
"What about my crime? What about my sins?
Well, why don't you figure it out yourself?
I'll let you decide, I'll let you write my story
Aren't you the one who's supposed to judge us anyway?"
Random facts about everyone's song titles, lyrics and doors (spoiler-free. mostly):
The silhouettes from Akio's T1 MV are back!
If you've read Aimi's T1 MV description, you probably already went "Wait, is her song title a reference to that mask from her video?" and you are correct!
Shun's song title is kinda supposed to be a pun? Basically it's a reference to dating sims, character routes and all that stuff, but it's also supposed to mean taking a wrong path in life or something like that.
Naomi's song title was the hardest one to come up with and it turned out to be the most boring one. I am so sorry.
I actually wouldn't say that Asahi's door shows his MV that well, since his video will actually have mostly white and green colors, but I thought that a door like that would look boring, so yeah, I made it more colorful!
"Why is Yurika's door like that?" Oh, don't worry, compared to Asahi's door, Yurika's door shows her MV perfectly fine <3
Riku's door. Riku's door made me go through so much pain, IT WAS THE LAST DOOR I CAME UP WITH. I LITERALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DRAW. Not even because I dislike his MV, it's just that his MV has this motif that's. Very hard to show as a door. Like all ideas I had just sounded stupid so I decided to go with something like this instead. Also I still hate drawing chains and I used a brush instead.
Yes, Naomi's door just. Looks like a diary. BUT I TRIED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A DOOR OKAY I TRIED
Reina's door having a more "actor-like" motif probably doesn't make much sense because of the song title, but trust me, it does. And yes, her song title is based on the trope of the same name.
Aimi's song lyrics kinda sound like a sequel to her T1 song though i guess her t2 song can be called that here, but the rest of the lyrics sound more different. And yes, there will be more of their song lyrics in the MV descriptions this time >:)
Kei's song lyrics are actually supposed to be much more sad this time and even the chorus will sound differently in the end.
Reina, please, stop breaking the fourth wall, you're becoming way too powerful.
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